


Mirages and Whispers

by Nidatoht



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gun Violence, Slow Burn, Violence, super slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-30 22:04:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 25,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17836982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nidatoht/pseuds/Nidatoht
Summary: Wraith usually never cared for the squad mates she got. Sometimes they weighed her down, sometimes they helped, but either way she tried not to care about them. Her newest squad, however, might just be the ones to pull her ass out of the fire when she needed them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have not written fanfiction in a very long time, but I am really enjoying this game. Here's something I'm slowly working on, I apologize for the short chapters. I hope you guys enjoy.

Wraith. That’s what people had begun to call her when she began her career here in the Apex Games. She tried to ignore the media of the whole thing, she wasn’t here for that, but she certainly couldn’t avoid it forever. People apparently enjoyed her _abilities._ None of that mattered to her, she was here for different reasons. Unlike the mercenaries or glory seekers, she was here for answers, and these games were her key. 

She waited, leaning against the wall as she watched the people pushing towards the drop ship. She certainly didn’t want to end up at the very _back_ of it, so she waited. Her eyes flickered down to her banner, checking to see if she had been assigned a squad yet. With a quiet beep, two portraits appeared on the small screen. Her gaze lifted back to the crowd, and sure enough she could see two figures illuminated in the crowd, but it seems they were approaching _her._

A tall, bipedal robot approached, his “feet” clanking against the ground. He raised his hand in greeting, a surprisingly smooth motion as the screen on his chest switched to something… happier. 

_“Greetings, companion. Shall we strive for victory today?”_ His voice rang out. 

Wraith blinked, and suddenly her second squad mate was beside her, leaning against the wall, propped up on his elbow. 

“Hey there, you don’t look as scary as they make you seem.” 

The words made her raise a brow, turning to look at him fully. He was decently geared, black and yellow. He wore goggles that were pushed up to his hair, which was curly and spilling off the right side of those goggles. He was well tanned and had a beard. She had seen him before, seen them _both_ before. 

Wraith leaned away, and _“Mirage”_ began to flicker and vanish as the true Mirage stepped out from behind Pathfinder. 

The MRVN scout did his best to whisper. _“I do not believe she likes us.”_ The screen on his chest taking on a sadder face. 

A boisterous laugh rang from Mirage as he patted his metallic friend on what one would imagine was his shoulder. “Don’t worry bud, we’ll grow on her.” 

She furrowed her brows together, her frown never leaving her lips. If she didn’t know any better, she would have guessed she was being paired with amateurs but considering the things she’s read about the two of them, she knew that underestimating them was what they wanted. 

Suddenly, Pathfinder perked up and raised his hand. _“I would like to be Jump master, if no one opposes.”_

She pursed her lips. She would much rather she do it, but she’d allow it. There were plenty of places she could search for answers on King’s Canyon anyways. “Alright. You’re jump master.” She said as she pushed off the wall and stepped towards them. She made a quick motion towards the drop ship. “We should get on before we miss this match.” 

Like it flipped a switch, Mirage straightened before bowing and motioning for her to lead the way. “Can’t keep my fans waiting, can I?” 

He was going to get old quick. 

Wraith stepped onto the drop ship, Pathfinder and Mirage following suit. She could hear the hum of the engine as purred to life, it was time to focus, on the battle and on the whispers.


	2. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First contact with enemies usually tells you what you need to know about your squad.

_“I believe the Wetlands would be a suitable place to land.”_ That’s what Pathfinder had said to them before leading the jump.

_Suitable_ was a word. There were decent weapons scattered around- that was one thing about the games that people seemed to enjoy, the scramble for weapons, for anything that could be used to win a fight, but the place Pathfinder had selected was rather… popular.

Wraith barely had time to scoop up a gun, a Peacekeeper, before she ran into someone who was desperately trying to get to a weapon. The unfamiliar mercenary’s eyes went wide as they stared down the barrel of her gun. She felt a pang of pity, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

_Finish him. It’s you or him._

The voice was right. “Contact here.” She called out over her comms. As he went for a punch, she pulled the trigger, unloading a round into him. With another pull of the trigger, he was down. He had nothing of worth on his body, but she could hear footsteps running in her direction.

No one had entered the building yet, but she inhaled deeply before diving into what she had called the _void._ She sprinted up the stairs before finishing her void jump. She spotted a Prowler Burst PDW, it was her lucky day. She grabbed it, the ammo nearby, and the syringe just in case.

_They’ve got you in their sights._

She turned on a dime, but it seems her enemy was caught off guard by Pathfinder bursting into the building behind her. Her would-be attacker turned towards the robot, but Pathfinder launched a grapple that dug into her weapon and yanked it away. The MRVN didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger of his Wingman.

_“Please do not harm my squad mate.”_ he said down towards the body before turning towards Wraith. _“Do you have any injuries?”_

Before she could answer, she was interrupted by sound over the comms. She looked through a window to where she could see Mirage below. He was _dancing_ before he finally slammed his boot into the helmet of the seeming final member of the squad.

_“Free tip, just try a little bit harder. You almost had it!”_ He pulled a weapon off of the body before jogging into the building, looking to Pathfinder and Wraith who raised her brow at him. “You two alright?”

Pathfinder made a thumbs up motion. Wraith nodded and looked towards the robot. “Thanks. Come on, let’s clear this area and get going.”

_“I will find a survey beacon!”_ Pathfinder said before turning away and exiting the building.

She cringed, the pulsating pain returning, and she moved to grab her wrist. It was a knee-jerk reaction for her, though it never actually stopped any of the pain. She ground her teeth together before shaking it off.  _Focus_. She had to focus. 

She felt eyes on her, and the lack of whispers concerned her, but as she turned, she saw Mirage studying her. She raised a brow, but he looked turned, not before she caught something. Was it concern? She furrowed her brows before shaking her head. There were other things that needed her attention.

It didn’t take them too long to sweep the buildings of the Wetlands and for Pathfinder to find a survey beacon. With his guidance, they were able to use their maps to avoid the dangers of the ring. The ring of course, was an energy barrier that slowly closed in on Kings Canyon. It was meant to push the combatants together, force fights. People didn’t linger outside of the barrier, not when they could die out there past that barrier.

Despite his ego and what he considered _showmanship,_ as he sometimes referred to it, he was a good shot and he was always alert. Like most of the so-called Legends in these games, his head was on a swivel when it came to keeping on guard. She had to admit, she appreciated that.

Then there was Pathfinder. His ability to survey the land was _already_ useful, but with his grappling hooks, he could get them to high ground with ease. Perhaps she wouldn’t be doing all the work this time around, and that she appreciated greatly.

Maybe, just maybe she’d be able to gather more information than she planned in these games.


	3. Maybe We Should Stick Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wraith wanders off on her own and gets into trouble.

_ I’ll be right back, going to check that area out. _

That’s what she had said to her team as they swept through an area. They didn’t protest, and she had headed off. From what she had heard, this particular area of Kings Canyon had one of the facilities she had been seeking. Good.

Her eyes scanned the area, her footsteps falling quietly as she looked for something of use. A computer, perhaps?

She spotted something in the distance, she moved with determination now, that was, until she heard it.

_ Behind you. _

She turned on her heel, gun drawn but was quickly met with a fist to the jaw, making her stumble back. Wraith let out a grunt, raising her gun and firing. The bullet tore through her opponent’s armor but didn’t seem to draw blood.

The armored woman pulled the trigger of her shotgun and the shell shattered the hardlight armor she had equipped earlier.

_ “Wraith? Are you in danger?”  _ Pathfinder’s robotic voice sounded in her ear piece.

She grit her teeth as she fired again, but her legs were swept out from beneath her. She hit the ground hard on her back with a grunt, and her enemy pointed the shotgun right at her face. The woman pulled the trigger but was met with the sound of a click. There was rage in her eyes as she went to switch for her secondary weapon.

Wraith was low on ammo too, so she quickly took her kunai and twisted so that she could dig it into the woman’s thigh. She grunted in pain, but her secondary weapon, a pistol was already out, and this bullet tore through her shoulder, making her cry out in pain.

The woman was seething with anger, and she was ready to finish her off. Wraith didn’t know what else she had up her sleeve, but she certainly wasn’t going to die without a fight. At least, that’s what she thought until she heard footsteps. There were no whispers, it couldn’t have been a member of this woman’s squad, could it?

No, not when the woman’s attention flickered up to scan the area. Wraith looked up as well, and she was shocked to see Mirage full on sprinting in their direction.  _ What was he doing? He was going to get himself killed. _

Well, that’s what she figured would happen, but when the woman opened fire on Mirage, his form burst into a blue light. A  _ holographic decoy. _

Suddenly, the real Mirage was decloaked before her, standing just behind the woman. “This is quite the predemis-, predah, predepicatio-, predi… this is a bad situation for you.” He had made a face at his own fumble of words before he tried to recover. Before he could let the woman recover, he pulled the trigger of his pistol, a Wingman. Blood splattered the floor as the woman’s body fell to the ground.

Wraith let out a sigh of relief as her body went limp against the ground. She was still bleeding.

“Shit! Don’t worry, I’ve got ya.” Mirage fell to his knees beside her, lifting her up as he pulled out a syringe. He knew his stuff, at least, though the advanced medicine that was scattered around the battlefield meant if you survived the fire fight, you were sure to get back on your feet in a few minutes.

Didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Are you alright?” Mirage asked as he pulled her to her feet.

She wrinkled her nose as she opened up a medkit and got to work patching herself up. “I’m fine… got taken by surprise.”

_ “Please, friend!”  _ Pathfinder’s voice returned as he approached them.  _ “Do not wander off alone again! We could have lost you!” _

“Yeah, we should stick together if we plan on getting out of here alive.”

“I-...” Wraith was surprised by the two of them, so she simply nodded. “Alright. I’ll stick close.” She eyed the two of them, her eyes lingering on Mirage. She had never heard him stumble over his words before, and he had looked genuinely frustrated with himself for it.

Never mind that, they still hadn’t emerged victorious. Questions for another time, maybe…

“There’s a computer here I want to check… it won’t take long and then we can get moving.” And to her surprise, they nodded and let her work without their snooping. 


	4. No Leads and Poison Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spotting another enemy squad, Pathfinder, Mirage, and Wraith decide to engage.

Nothing. There had been absolutely nothing of use for her on the computers. Not that many of them were even _useful._ There was so much fighting that happened here on Kings Canyon that it amazed her the entire place wasn’t one massive crater. She was angry, disappointed, and most of all, frustrated. So much so, that even _Pathfinder_ caught on.

Wraith had honestly expected more of Mirage’s quips and humor, but he gave her something she didn’t expect. _Space._ Oh, and she was so grateful for it. As amusing as some of his one-liners were becoming.

Her squad mates knew something was wrong, sure, but they didn’t let them get in the way of their ultimate objective. It was in new area, seemingly razed by wildfire that they spotted another squad of three running towards one of the buildings. Pathfinder readied a sniper that he had picked up and eagerly informed his teammates to open fire.

She didn’t know why, but she figured she could put faith in the robot’s calculations. So, she and Mirage followed suit, moving forward to open fire. Mirage had sent out a decoy, and sure enough it had caught their attention for long enough so that she could cut around and ambush them. She leveled her Prowler and pulled the trigger in rapid succession, cutting one of them down with ease before one of them tried to turn on her.

Though the poor soul was quickly taken out by Pathfinder with a well-placed shot with his Longbow. There were two down, where was the last?

Wraith gritted her teeth together before looking to the two on the ground, still struggling to cling to life.

_End their suffering. Quickly._

And she did. Two quick shots with her gun and they were done. More poor souls ended within the Apex Games.

_The tree line, now._

The whispers were so _urgent_ it nearly choked her with fear, and Wraith hadn’t been _afraid_ when it came to the whispers in so long now. She could see the charred tree line, and she moved for it, her eyes scanning until she spotted _it_ : what the whispers wanted her to see.

Mirage was in a cloud of smoke. No, not smoke. _Poison._ He was wheezing, gasping for air as the final member of the squad approached, ready to shoot him down.

_He’s in danger. Save him._

Practically an order, and not one she was about to refuse. She sprinted towards him, and her footsteps were enough to make the menacing man look in her direction and start shooting. She slid to her knees, coasting downhill before phasing, the act racking her body with pain, but she got to where she needed to go.

As she emerged from the void space, she pulled her kunai free with a twirl before slamming it in the man’s side.

_“Tell Death I said hello.”_ She said, her voice cold as she raised a hand, ripping open a portal into the nothingness she called the void.

With a grunt, she used her strength to fling him through the portal and promptly closing it. There was no time to savor the victory, not when Mirage was still trying to crawl out of the poison cloud. She covered her mouth with her scarf and helped pull him to safety before getting to work with a syringe.

“D-don’t let me die. Dear old mom would be de-, devo-, diva-...” his tanned features twisted in frustration. “She’d be real sad…” his voice was softer and there was _fear_ in his eyes. Her eyes widened as she held his gaze, barely registering that he was gripping her wrist in a tight hold.  

“I-... I’ve got you.” she said, clenching her jaw as she jabbed the syringe into him. His body went limp in her arms for a moment before the nanomachines repaired whatever damage the poison might have done to his lungs and body.

It took some time, but as Pathfinder made sure they were in the clear, Wraith helped Mirage to his feet. He avoided meeting her gaze, but she couldn’t help but stare. In the face of death, he was… vulnerable and scared. It hadn’t been quite what she expected.

“Are you alr-”

“Fine, yeah. Totally fine.” He brushed himself off and looked to where the portal had closed. “Shoulda seen him about two seconds before you showed up. Totally had him on the ropes.”

Wraith pursed her lips, she doubted that entirely but… banter seemed to be his distraction. She patted him on the shoulder. “Sure, you did. Consider this a debt paid.” She said, walking past him, putting on a ghost of a smile. Sure enough, he seemed to perk up.

“Oh-ho-ho. Come on sunshine, you’re gonna owe me a lot more than just that.” He said.

_“Let us keep moving, friends. There are more enemies to defeat!”_ Pathfinder chimed in as he approached.

“Can’t a man have a second to appreciate breathing semi-fresh air, Path?” Mirage said, putting his hands on his hips.

_“I do not need to breathe; therefore, I cannot ‘appreciate’ it.”_ A frowny face appeared on his chest screen.

“What’s the MRVN equivalent of breathing? Appreciating not overheating? Hell, I don’t know. Alright, alright. Let’s get moving.” Mirage said as he picked up his gun and turned to follow Pathfinder.

_“I do not believe that is an appropriate comparison.”_ The MRVN unit responded.

Wraith’s eyes flickered between the two before a sincerer smile found its way to her lips. Yeah. She could stand to be around these two some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's very clear that these events are reminiscent of the trailer. However, I'm not entirely sure how I plan to use the "respawn" system, if at all. So that means these are similar legends fighting in the story, not necessarily Bangalore, Caustic, etc.


	5. Things Escalate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad gets ambushed. Twice.

The Bridges. Maybe if Wraith hadn’t been in the middle of a warzone, she would have had a moment to appreciate how pretty a place like this was, but when she and Mirage had moved across one of the bridges to go check out one of the buildings for more gear, they were ambushed.

Just as Wraith was calling out the whispers’ warnings, bullets began to fly past them. Some of them even tearing through Mirage and knocking him down. Luckily a decoy was deployed, running past to distract some of the shooters so that Wraith could pull him to safety. She grabbed for the gun on her hip and tried to poke around the corner and shoot her RE-45, but her shots went wide, and the bullets sprayed around them, forcing her to duck back behind cover.

She clenched her jaw tightly as Mirage clutched his wounds with a groan of pain. Damn it. She tried to peek around the cover once more, just as she saw something bursting from the waterfall.

Not something. _Pathfinder._

He used his grapple hook to swing through the air, a gun, a Havoc firing energized rounds into two of the squad members. She couldn’t tell for sure, but she had a feeling there was smoke rising from the sear marks those bullets left behind, and she could have sworn she saw an angry face on the screen of his chest. One of the squad mates tried to make a break for it. All she could see was white body armor and a mask she could have sworn had some sort of face painted on it, but Pathfinder was not letting him go anywhere. Using his grappling hook once more, it sailed through the air before embedding itself in the man’s armor. It yanked the man back as the line pulled the MRVN unit towards him. Pathfinder’s weight slammed into the man’s body, crushing him against the bridge before the robot pulled the trigger once more.

_“Game over! Thanks for participating!”_ she heard him say cheerfully through their comms.

She breathed a sigh of relief, but she made sure to scan the area for any more threats. Though there were no whispers. Safety. For now, at least.

She took a moment to get Mirage on his feet, and he gave her an appreciative look before joking over comms, “Alright, now we both owe Path one.”

Wraith’s lips quirked up into a smile as she looked back over to Pathfinder who was giving them both a thumbs up. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Turning her gaze, she looked to one of the houses in the ravine below, the doors hadn’t been opened. “Might be something good down there.” She said with a nod of her head in the direction.

Pathfinder grappled over to their bridge before shooting off another grappling hook. _“It’s zipline time!”_

Mirage let out a laugh before riding it down to the building below.

“You know… it was the liberation from the IMC that brought chaos to the Outlands… and the revival of an old blood sport.” Mirage spoke as she and Pathfinder entered the building and cleared the room, on edge in case there was someone here. Pathfinder seemed to get excited over a very nice Longbow he stumbled upon. “Some fight for fortune, others for answers, but we shall all be forged in the glorious-“

“Mirage!” she snapped. “Quiet, we don’t know if we’re alone. Path, are we clear?”

Pathfinder leveled the sniper, scanning the area in the windows before a happy face appeared on his chest screen. _“We are all clear, friends!”_

There was a supply bin in the room, and Mirage lowered his peacekeeper to approach it. It opened with a hiss, and the lot of them spotted a golden glow from one of the items, a body shield. She had heard about such items being scattered throughout the battlefield.

“Jackpot! Don’t mind if I do.” Mirage said, reaching for it, but Wraith stopped him.

“Back off…” she said, looking down at it as she and Pathfinder approached.

“But guys! I’m- I’m becoming a legend in this thing.”

Wraith eyed him before shaking her head. “Legends don’t choke under pressure…” She said, her tone taking on a light teasing tone. “This is mine.”

His eyes lit up at the challenge and he gave a laugh before lightly shoving her. “Yours? If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be laying down on the job.” He leaned forward over the supply bin as she braced her arms against it, her eyes narrowing at him.

Pathfinder stepped forward, a robotic digit raised. _“I believe with ten kills; the armor should be mine.”_

“Eh, that’s a made-up number.” Mirage said with a shake of her head. “Right, so I think we’re on in agreement that I’m the one…”

His voice faded as the whispers filled her mind.

_They know where you are._

_You’ve been spotted._

_Grenade._

Her eyes scanned the area, spotting the grenade sailing through the air. Time felt slow to her, and she had to act. She didn’t know if it was safe for them, but she had to try. She grabbed her two squad mates by the arm and focused her abilities. She braced herself for the pain and opened a portal behind her. She let herself fall back into the nothingness and _dragged_ them with her. She could hear the explosion, muffled now, like listening to something when one was deep underwater. She didn’t know if they were hit, but if they were, it was better than death.

They emerged, not too far. She was on her back and the pain was intense. More intense than she had experienced before. Her hands flew up to her head, and had it not been for her gloves, her nails would have dug into her scalp. She tried to suppress the cry of pain, but it escaped her.

_Focus._

She swallowed hard, blinking back the tears that pricked her eyes. She fumbled for her gun, her Triple Take and stumbled forward. She dropped to her knee and lifted the scope to her eye. She could hear Mirage groaning in pain. He was hurt, but she had to deal with this problem.

She could see the enemy squad in the building now, looking at the supply bin they had yet to touch. Her eyes narrowed as the whispers encouraged her to pull the trigger, and she listened.

Three quick pulls of the trigger and the three-bullet spread tore through them, knocking them to the ground. Dead. They were dead. _Good._

She scrambled towards Pathfinder and Mirage, they were alive, just injured, and as she tried to start patching them up, an announcer sounded out throughout Kings Canyon.

_“You are the Apex champions.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIL: The gun Pathfinder shoots in the cinematic trailer was the Havoc. Dang you, Respawn. You were driving me crazy with that. 
> 
> Also this chapter ended up a bit longer than expected. I hope you guys enjoy.


	6. Victors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're champions of the Games, this time around, but that doesn't mean Wraith can get some rest.

Pathfinder raised his “head” and gave it a shake as if he was trying to shake off the shock of the grenade and being pulled through the portal. There was an exclamation mark on his chest. Mirage on the other hand looked surprised, but a huge grin quickly took its place.

_“We have done it, friends!”_ For a moment Pathfinder looked like he was going to raise his hand for a high five, but after Mirage had ignored him the last time, he didn’t seem to want the rejection again.

Mirage and Wraith both noticed and raised their hands.

“High five, buddy. You worked hard to get us here.” Mirage said.

More exclamation marks appeared on his screen and he raised his hands to give them both a high five, if not a little _too_ hard. Mirage gave a hearty laugh as Wraith stood and helped the two of them up.

There was sound of an airship above them. It would pick them up, but first a drone floated down and a masculine, robotic voice sounded from it. “Please strike a heroic pose!” It said.

Mirage seemed to go right into the perfect pose, hands on his hips, looking off in a direction valiantly. Pathfinder raised his hand in a thumbs up, standing between the two of them. Wraith hesitated for a moment.

“C’mon, Wraith. Give it your best.” Mirage paused to encourage her, drawing a faint smile to her lips.

She did her best. People seemed to like her _abilities,_ so she summoned up a spark of the void _energy_ to her hand and did her best to put on a dangerous look. The media seemed to like that about her, and she was sure this latest broadcast would garner her some more attention, though she hoped she’d be outshone by Pathfinder and Mirage.

The drone recorded for some time before a ladder dropped down from the airship and the drone instructed them to board it.

This wasn’t the first time she and Mirage had won a game, though it was Pathfinder’s first shot at it, and he was quite pleased with the results. The following 12 hours were a whirlwind of interviews and questioning from representatives and reporters. They were taken to a compound some ways away from Kings Canyon, it was near a small city. They were instructed they were allowed to stay there while they had their rewards for winning the match delivered, and while they got their affairs in order.

To be quite honest, Wraith was looking forward to _sleep._ She was drained, mentally, physically, and even her use of her powers had drained her. She would rest and sign up for the next games. Unfortunately, that was three months away. The Games were live streamed, but there would be several week’s worth of media coverage on the winners, analysis of fights, and other things that kept the public busy until a new game started.

She’d have to find a place to stay until then. But that was a thought for later.

Though, as she headed for the instructed room, Mirage called out. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you guys really gonna go sleep after we’re once again _legends_ in this thing? Come on!”

Wraith turned on her heel to give him a tired look, before she could speak, he cut her off.

“Seriously, let’s all celebrate. It’s Path’s first victory! We have to go party.”

Once more the exclamation returned. _“I would very much enjoy celebration.”_

She eyed him. There was a look of desperation in his eyes. As if he truly needed this, and she considered it, but she shook her head. “I can’t go out in my gear.”

He laughed. “Well duh, go change and we’ll meet back here.”

Wraith shook her head again. “I don’t have civilian clothes with me.”

Mirage squinted at her. “What? Alright, alright. We can fix this.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards his quarters, drawing a noise of surprise from her. Pathfinder seemed surprise as well, but quickly followed.

“I might have something in one of my bags you can wear. I think your pants and boots’ll be fine, we’ll just throw a sweater on ya.”

Wraith blinked. She almost hoped the whispers would give her some sort of warning about what was about to happen, but none came. After a moment of digging, Mirage tossed something dark blue her way.

“That’ll do.”

Pathfinder raised a metallic digit. “I do not require new clothes.”

“No, no you don’t, bud.” Mirage smiled before looking to Wraith as she held the sweatshirt up to her shoulders.

She really just wanted to sleep, but she’d give in. If it weren’t for these two, she’d be dead. “Alright, I’ll go get my gear off…”

There was relief at her words, but she didn’t stay long to study him. Instead she went to her quarters and gave her bed a longing look as she removed the layers of her gear. She undid her sash and the kimono style top she wore beneath her armor and folded it neatly. She stared down at the garment. She still knew nothing about it save for the fact that it was important to her, and she hated it.

She shook her head to herself and pulled the shirt on. She looked at herself in the mirror. Sometimes she wished she could know the person who stared back. But for now, it was just Wraith.

She splashed her face with some water before exiting her dormitory, only to be met with a small cup being shoved in her face.

“Energy shot. You’re gonna need it.” Mirage said with a cheeky grin.


	7. Celebrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirage is in desperate need of a distraction.

Mirage dragged Wraith and Pathfinder to this small bar in the outskirts of the city. It looked like a dump and the music was loud. According to Mirage, it was some ancient sort of electronic rock. She rubbed her temple as she listened and followed him to the bar where he promptly ordered them some drinks.

_“If I can hold you tonight_

_And keep you so safe armor falls aside_

_If I can hold, baby, you tonight_

_I doubt it's going to change what we are inside”_

“And my friend here will get, uh…” He looked over at Pathfinder, who piped up in response.

_“I do not require hydration. There are so many fascinating people here!”_ Pathfinder seemed to be taking in the entire room as the bartender poured drinks with a flourish, which brought the MRVN unit’s attention back. He gave an excited clap.

When the bartender set their drinks down, Wraith watched Mirage take his drink with a _shaky_ hand bring it up to his lips. In one quick motion he downed the drink and set the glass down. He leaned against the bar, staring down at the wooden surface as he let out a measured exhale. Almost like a flip of a switch, he was back to smiling and turning in his seat to face them.

_Weight of the world on his shoulders._

_He’s scared._

_Death?_

_Loneliness?_

For once she wanted the whispers to shut up. She took her glass and quickly followed Mirage in downing it.

“So, what brought you two to the games anyways? I’m sure it’s quite the naro-, nara-, narr-, _I’m sure it’s quite the story._ ” He said with a pat on the bar top as if to distract from his mistake, or perhaps it was another show of his frustration.

Pathfinder seemed excited to answer his question first, so Wraith stayed quiet.

_“I am seeking my creator! I booted up in an abandoned lab some time ago with no clue as to what my purpose was, modded for scouting and surveying. I calculated that by participating in the Apex Games, I could draw the attention of my creator!”_ He clasped his hands together giving them a quick little shake.

Wraith had to admit that she was surprised that she had something in common with her robotic friend. _Friend._ Maybe it was a bit too soon to call anyone that. Her thoughts were cut off by the fact that both Pathfinder and Mirage were staring intently at her.

She exhaled, lifting a finger to the bartender for another drink. “You two sort of already know. I’m here for information. I don’t know who I am, and there’s a lot of abandoned research facilities on Kings Canyon.” She kept her voice low enough so that only the other two could hear her over the loud music. “Those facilities conducted a lot of research, and I have reason to believe they might give me a clue.” She left out the part about the detention center for the mentally ill. She wasn’t sure how they’d react to that.

Mirage furrowed his brows, leaning closer with interest. “So, you don’t know anything about yourself? Like, your past? Your name?”

She clenched her jaw before nodding. “I don’t know any of it. Just what I can do and where I can get answers.” Her voice got a bit quieter as she turned her attention to the drink that was placed down in front of her, and a second one for Mirage.

_“Perhaps we shall all seek what we are looking for together. We can choose to remain as a squad! But what are **you** here for, Mirage?” _The MRVN unit asked, a quizzical emoticon on his screen.

His smile faltered for a heartbeat before he laughed. “For the glory, y’know. The popularity. Winning the games makes you practically a celebrity, and the people _already_ love me.”

Wraith gave a quick nod. “I don’t try and read the media of the games but… I’ve seen you in it a lot.”

_“Yes! I have seen many reports of your victory some months ago.”_ Pathfinder nodded his head excitedly.

This seemed to make Mirage smile. “Course you have. Another round over here!” He threw an arm around Pathfinder and pulled him closer. “For the best squad mates in the Outlands.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have found a new band and now have a ton of feels about this ship.


	8. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too many drinks, and he's as curious as a cat.

One round turned into _many._ Pathfinder did his best to shepherd them back to the compound. Mirage had his arm slung around Wraith’s shoulder, and he actually had her laughing openly as they wobbled and swayed their way back to their rooms.

Pathfinder had his arms out, trying to steady them, a nervous emoticon on his screen. _“Friends, please! Your motor skills aren’t very functional at the moment.”_

“We’re fine. I’m fine. She’s fine.” Mirage said, trying to wave away the MRVN unit’s hand.

Wraith snorted, grasping Pathfinder’s cool, metallic hand for a moment as they came to a stop in front of her room.

Mirage wiped away imaginary tears from laughter and did his best to steady himself. “We’re good now, Path. We’re back. Thanks for the help, bud.” He gave the robot a thumbs up, and Pathfinder looked proud. He gave them a quick nod before walking to whatever dormitory had been assigned to him.

Mirage let his gaze fall to the floor before looking back towards her. “Hey, uh, I’ve got another question for ya.”

She hummed at his words and gave him a nod.

He hesitated, as if he had expected her not to say yes. “Your eyes… they turn… they get… ‘milky’ when you…” He furrowed his brows as he tried to find the words. “The thing you can do… I don’t know what to call it.”

Wraith leaned back against the wall and grabbed her left wrist reflexively. He leaned away a bit, sensing her tension.

“Sorry if ya don’t wanna talk about it. I was just cu-, curi-, curious.” He managed to get out before she shook her head.

“It’s… I-” she took a deep breath. “I don’t know a lot about what I do. I just know that it’s painful.” She swallowed.

Mirage’s pressed his lips into a thin line. “It does?” When she nodded, he asked, “So when you saved us at the very end there… you cried out. You weren’t hit by the grenade you were-”

“In agonizing pain.”

He frowned at that, looking down at the space between them. “I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

Wraith shook her head again. “You saved me, I saved you. Pathfinder saved us. We were fighting. We had to use every ability to our advantage.”

He gave an absent-minded nod, his eyes focused on nothing at all before he suddenly lifted his gaze to meet hers. His hand moved to give her right bicep a squeeze. “Thank you for saving me, I mean it. Not sure what I would have done if I was dead. Well, besides-” he let out a sigh. “You know what I mean.”

Her mind flashed back to fear in his eyes as he lay dying in her arms back on the battlefield, bringing up his mother. She wanted to ask about it, but she wasn’t sure if asking while they were both drunk was the best of ideas. So she gave a nod. “Of course. If you and Pathfinder would like to team up again…”

He smiled, the happy facade returning. “Hooked on me already?” He leaned in close, his voice getting low in her ear. She could smell the rum on him, but she had no doubt reeked of the same substance. “Between you and me, we’re both in it so Path can carry us to victory.” he teased.

She wasn’t expecting that. She lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder, a laugh bubbling up from her. “Certainly.”

His eyes shone as he leaned back a bit to look at her as she laughed. “And uh… thanks for uh, thanks for celebrating. Didn’t want to be alone at first.” He added as he took a step back. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll see ya in the morning, alright?”

She brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she nodded. “In the morning.”

He turned to leave but paused. “Elliott Witt, by the way. You can call me that outside of the battlefield.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pathfinder is team dad. I also clearly wrote a lot today. Oops.


	9. Early Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wraith is awoken by nightmares. She decides to snoop, and shares breakfast with her squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being way longer than intended.

Sometimes the void was not her escape. Sometimes it was suffocating, bringing her a slow, painful death. She wondered if it would ultimately be the void that did her in. It was when she awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for air to cool her burning lungs, that she had a feeling that would be the case.

The intense pain the stung her arms didn’t help, nor did the chorus of whispers. She hugged her arms to herself, grasping her forearms tightly as if that would stop it. She ground her teeth together, trying to steady her breathing.

Breathe. She just had to breathe. When it finally subsided to a more manageable level, she let herself relax against the bed, but her eyes were wide and bore into the ceiling above her. She groaned before turning her head aside to glance at the holo-display on the nightstand. It was seven in the morning. Which means she only got four hours of sleep and she was hungover.

Wraith let out a sigh before throwing aside her sheets and swinging her legs off the bed. She lifted her gaze to the mirror that was across from her. She had let her hair loose to sleep, and now it clung to the sweat on her face. She ran her fingers through it to peel it away before standing.

She took a quick shower, before getting her pants, top, and boots on, even deciding to bring her scarf along. That was something she had found along the way, early on after her escape, but she was fond of it. She pulled her wet hair back into a bun before seeking the compound’s cafeteria.

As she walked the hall, she heard two voices conversing. Wraith pursed her lips, trying to deny the curiosity that was clutching her before she gave in and approached, stepping lightly to avoid being heard.

It was Mirage- Elliott’s voice.

_“No, ma. Promise I’m haven’t been drinkin’, and I promise I got some sleep, I know it’s early here, just wanted to give you a call.”_

Wraith leaned closer to the wall, trying to get a better listen. She could hear the whispers telling her he wasn’t being honest.

_“I’m glad you’re safe, honey. You know I’m not one to watch the Games unless you’re on there. Your team did very good I’m glad to see you working well with this new one.”_ A woman’s voice. Elliott’s mother, she assumed.

_“Yeah, yeah we did. Got my ass saved a few times there, but I did do a bunch o’ pretty show stopping stuff too.”_ He laughed. _“I uh, I should get going, get some breakfast. Sleep well, ma. Send me those blueprints. I’m gonna try and visit you for a bit before signing up for the next match. Love ya.”_

_“Love you too, Elli. Good night.”_

Realizing the conversation was ending, Wraith began to walk again and tried not to flinch at the hiss of the door to Mirage’s dormitory opening.

“Oh! Hey there. Didn’t think anyone was awake at this time.” He said as he sped up to fall into pace with her, clad in loose fitting pants and a long sleeve red shirt.

Wraith peeked at him before shrugging her shoulders. He had dark circles under his eyes. It seemed he had lied to his mother. “I had a strange dream.”

“Dreams, huh? Yeah, I get those too. They keep me up.” He brought a hand to rub the back of his head. “Were you going to get breakfast?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully something to help with the hangover. I shouldn’t have let you convince me to drink so much.”

He opened his mouth to defend himself before he caught her faint smirk. “Oh, ha ha. I was about to say, you were pretty eager to drink once we got there.”

They reached a cafeteria and were quickly greeted by the sound of metal footsteps rushing towards them. _“Good morning, friends! I was not expecting you all for some time.”_ Pathfinder exclaimed, a happy face on his chest. He had two bottles of water clutched in his hand, and a bottle of what seemed like pills. He extended them to she and Mirage. _“I did research on the side effects of the alcohol you have consumed. I believe these will help.”_

Wraith blinked, and even Mirage seemed to be taken aback. She reached out to take the bottle of pills and looked it over. Seemed like a simple painkiller. Her lips quirked into a faint smile at the robot as she opened it up, rattled a pill into her hand, popped it into her mouth, and took the water from him so she could take a swig.

“Thanks, Path.” She said as Mirage did the same with the medicine.

If any robot could show even more joy, it was Pathfinder.

_“You are welcome, friends!”_

Mirage clapped him on the shoulder. “Come join us for breakfast.”

_“I may not require sustenance, but I would love to!”_ he said, bringing his metallic hands together in an excited clap.

There were a few other people who worked on the compound who were in the cafeteria. Wraith had been here before. She walked over and inputted what she wanted into the display before stepping aside to let Mirage order.

While their orders were being prepared, they moved to sit at one of the tables.

_“I have a question for you, friends.”_ Pathfinder piped up, looking between the two of them. When Mirage gave a nod of acknowledgement, he continued. _“We have already worked well together. I have calculated odds of survival should we team up again. They are extremely high! If you both are choosing to fight again in the next match, I would very much like to team up again!”_

“Huh, well, guess you beat me to it, bud. I was gonna pro-, pre-, por-... I was gonna suggest teaming up again.” Mirage said, and the two of them turned towards her suddenly.

Wraith blinked, looking between the two of them. “You know why I’m in the Games… and if you two don’t care about that… well, then I trust you’re both competent enough to have by my side. So… yes.”

“Sweet!” Mirage said, giving Pathfinder a bit of a shake as a heart popped up on his screen. “Looks like we’re officially a team.”

Wraith cracked a smile as their food was delivered before them.

Whatever Mirage ordered, it looked like a fried egg on top of a tortilla with some sort of salsa. There was rice and refried beans on the side. He took a bite of it and leaned his head from side to side in contemplation. “Not as good as ma makes, but it’ll do.”

Her own breakfast consisted of a bowl of rice, a miso soup, and grilled fish. She happily dug right in with the chopsticks they brought her.

“So…” Mirage started, a mouth full of food before taking a moment to swallow it down. “What are you guys planning on doing until the next game?”

_“The game organizers have agreed to let me stay on the compound in between games, though I am free to come and go as I please.”_ Pathfinder answered before Mirage looked her way.

She paused to poke at her food. “I might… ask the same. Don’t really have anywhere else to go and it’s easier if I just stick around here.” She shrugged her shoulders before letting her voice get quiet. “Better chance to sneak around and find some information.”

Mirage cocked his head to the side at both of their answers. “Sounds like it’ll be boring for the two of you. Might have to call you both up to keep you company.” He offered a charming smile to which Wraith rolled her eyes.

Though a bit of company wouldn’t hurt.

_“What will you be doing with your free time?”_

Mirage pointed a fork at the MRVN unit. “Heading to Solace. Gonna be fixing up some of the holo devices that took some damage, maybe improving on the design before coming back. It’ll be nice to come back knowing who I’ll have on my side, at least.” He grinned.

“You work on your own holo devices?” Wraith asked, cocking her head to the side.

Mirage feigned a look of hurt, grasping at his chest as if she’d just shot him, bringing about another eye roll. He chuckled before speaking. “Yeah. Ma and I worked on the design for years during wartime. She finalized this particular design and gave it to me as a gift, but I helped.” He smiled fondly.

“Impressive. Sounds like a fun trip.” She said, popping a piece of fish into her mouth.

He nodded in agreement. “I leave tomorrow. I’d uh, offer to bring you two along but it seems you two are seeking some information.”

Wraith looked towards Pathfinder before nodding. “Not sure we-, well, _I’d_ be helpful with that.” 

Maybe it was the fact they had fought and nearly died together on the battlefield, but there was an ache in her chest. She’d miss his goofing off. She tried to swallow down the feeling. She stood quickly, giving them both a quick nod. “Well, have a safe trip. I should speak to the game organizers.”

She probably should have said a more proper goodbye for the time being, but for now she was running away from whatever _that_ feeling had truly been.


	10. Strategies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirage returns from his trip and the squad talks strategies.

A little over two months had passed. Wraith had spent a _lot_ of time with her robotic companion. She had even learned a bit more than she expected from the MRVN unit. Some things she would never repeat to another living soul, as _much_ as she had a feeling Mirage would live for some of those tidbits of information.

Unfortunately for the two of them, their time seeking more information and answers ended up being a lot of dead ends and a lot of time wasted. They were barely allowed into any restricted areas, though that didn’t stop Wraith from trying. Sadly, whatever was on the computers in the compound were useless to the two of them.

Sign-ups were soon, and before they knew it, contestants were arriving at the compound to sign up for the next game.

Pathfinder was sitting across from her in the cafeteria as she ate breakfast. The robot was telling her about some of the contestants he had already observed. She was listening intently, coming up with some strategies, at least until Pathfinder could tell her his strategies somewhere private.

“Well, well, well.” Someone said, sliding into the seat beside her. They leaned against the table, their elbow propping their head up as they gave her a cheeky grin. “If it isn’t my favorite squad mates.”

Wraith chewed her noodles as she turned to look at Mirage, a brow raised. She swallowed and wiped her mouth. She couldn’t help the small smile that bubbled up to her lips.

A happy face appeared on Pathfinder’s screen as he raised his hand in greeting. _“Mirage! It is wonderful to see you again.”_

“Same here, buddy.” Mirage drummed his hands on the table before settling in his seat. “See a lotta new faces around here. Looks like there’s gonna be some good com-compe-competition.” She watched him clench his jaw before smiling again.

_“It is good that you are here! We were going to sign up today and plan our strategies.”_ Pathfinder said.

Mirage nodded. “Sounds good, I’ve got some new tricks up my sleeve.” His eyes glinted with excitement. She would have to ask him about what he had worked on at another time.

“Well since you’re here, we should get those done and have a little chat about what we’ve seen around here so far.” Wraith said, bringing a piece of pork to her mouth and taking a bite. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria. There were all sorts of people, and she wasn’t about to underestimate any of them.

She finished eating before they went to sign up with the game coordinators. It was easy enough to do, though they were warned that they would be considered the champions of the arena, and there would be a hefty reward for those who ended their lives on the battlefield, though if they re-emerged victorious, the money they’d earn would be doubled. Mirage seemed particularly happy about that.

They gathered in Wraith’s room, considering Pathfinder didn’t exactly have seats for the two of them.

Mirage had headed right for Wraith’s bed when she tensed up. He must have seen it, because he stopped, shot her an apologetic look before moving to sit at the chair by her desk, his chest against the back of it.

She relaxed her shoulders and crossed her arms as she looked towards Pathfinder.

Pathfinder held out a device and a holomap was brought to life before them. _“This is King’s Canyon. We have done some research and believe the Cascades should be our focus during the next match. However, it is not a good place for quality gear.”_ he said as he pointed out an area that had varying levels of terrain. _“I believe we should land in Artillery. There is a higher level of loot, and I have come across some information that leads me to believe they will be dropping the highest levels of loot in near Water Treatment. While we will be losing out on said gear, this area is a bait from the game coordinators to get most of the bloodbath out of the way early into the game. We do not want to fall in battle so quickly, friends. We are the champions, of course!”_

“So, we clear out Artillery and head for Cascade’s to give Wraith time to search for information.” Mirage repeated, a hand coming up to scratch at his beard. “Sounds like a plan. If the bloodbath is happening that far south, we should be fine.”

Wraith looked between the two of them. It was one thing to simply let her go about her business while in King’s Canyon, but they were actively finding a way to help her find the information she was seeking. She smiled faintly and turned her gaze to the ground. “I appreciate this greatly…”

“It’s no problem. We don’t want you running off on your own again.” Mirage smirked, making her roll her eyes.

“The same could be said for you.” She shook her head. “Alright, Path. You’re in charge here. We have a week to train together.”

_“Excellent! I have many plans for the lot of us.”_


	11. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pathfinder is jumpmaster, the squad gets right into it, and Wraith finds something worth investigating.

It had proven  _extremely_ difficult to try and train without eyes on them. They were watched by hawks. Every move they made was analyzed. This was the problem with being victors of the arena.  _Everyone_ wanted their blood spilled.

But the time passed quickly, and soon enough they were on the dropship out. This time, they allowed themselves to settle near the back. Though some teams waited with them before getting to angsty and jumping out ahead of them. Sure enough, most of the drop ship had emptied out for the Water Treatment. They wouldn’t last long.

Pathfinder led the jump again. Of course, as they were free falling, they could see another squad following them. But they made a mistake. They had allowed them to go first. Worse off, one of the new tricks up Mirage’s sleeve were more holograms. As they fell, he had sent a hologram out, towards one of the far buildings in the Artillery as a cloaking device hid his own descent. They must have thought Mirage headed there by himself because they immediately bee-lined for “him.”

Mirage laughed as they landed the cloaking faded. “They’re gonna be  _so_ mad.”

She smirked as they split up a bit to find weapons. She headed for a hanger and picked up a Wingman before spotting a Longbow for Pathfinder. She collected it, some ammo, med kits, and some hardlight armor.

They met up on the roof, and she handed over the Longbow to her friendly MRVN unit. A smiley face with heart eyes appeared as he thanked her and grabbed the ammunition.

Mirage was leaning with his elbow against the wall as he waved a Prowler, barrel pointed up towards the ceiling, before her. “I’ll trade you that Wingman for this Prowler, here.”

She eyed him for a moment before pointing giving the revolver a flourish, stopping with the barrel pointed towards the ground as she held it out to him. They swapped and she inspected her gun. “Gonna need a hop-up…  _and_ a secondary gun.”

Pathfinder pointed to a gun he had already put down for her. A VK-47 Flatline. She grinned and took it and accepted the thermite grenade Mirage handed off to her.

Wraith nodded off towards the hanger in the very far north. “They’ve definitely realized that wasn’t you by now. Let’s get moving.”

The two of them gave her a nod and did just that. They headed for the hanger she had pointed out, though before Wraith could go for the stairs, Mirage held out an arm in front of her and brought a finger up to his lips. Activating one of his holo-devices, he sent a holo-decoy of himself down the stairs. They waited, and sure enough, by the time the decoy got to the bottom of the stairs, a round was fired.

With their position revealed, they rounded the corner. Wraith phased, dashing down the stairs as Pathfinder shot his sniper. Their would-be attacker hit the ground bleeding, and as she jumped out into the real world once again, she had her Prowler ready. Footsteps of the persons teammates reached her, and she turned on a dime, pulled the trigger. Three quick bursts had the final person on the ground. Mirage, or rather, a hologram of Mirage ran at the third soldier, making the soldier reflexively shoot.

A laugh sounded out in the hanger as Mirage appeared behind him, and with one quick round to the head from the Wingman, the soldier died.

The man before her, still clung to life. “Don’t blame yourself.” She reached for her knife, twirling it as she kneeled. In a swift motion, she brought her knife down, bringing about his death swiftly.

She wiped her blade clean and sheathed it.

_ “Wonderful work, friends. It seems our training has improved our skill sets!”  _ Pathfinder said from the top of the stairs.

With smiles from Mirage and Wraith, they got to work clearing out the rest of the area. By the time the sun began to set, dipping behind the mountains off to the west, they were on their way to the Cascades.

Despite the fact it was getting dark, they pushed on, and with their pace, they made it to Cascades with ease. There was an overlook above the buildings and waterfalls below, though most importantly it was filled with computers.

_ “I will scan the beacon on the roof!”  _ Pathfinder informed them before grappling to the roof.

Mirage pulled his Peacekeeper free and headed for the entrance of the overlook.

_ There’s a trap nearby.  _ The whisper warned and she felt her heartbeat quicken. She grabbed for Mirage and yanked him back as her eyes scanned the area. She wet her lips and her eyes landed on some sort of mechanism. She pointed it out to Mirage before he gave a nod.

Wraith clenched her jaw as she focused and opened a portal  _beneath_ the trap and let the mechanism fall through.

At that, Mirage sent a decoy ahead, but nothing seemed to shoot at it. She furrowed her brows together before stepping forward.

“Go ahead and take a look at those computers.” Mirage whispered, swiveling to keep an eye on the door.

Wraith nodded and moved forward. She booted up a computer and began to get to work sifting through files. There wasn’t much at first, until she found a file that caught her eye. It spoke of advancements in technology and test subjects. It was the mention of test subjects that furthered her interest, so she kept digging.

_ Aiden, Zoe - Deceased _

_ Hattori, Mirai - Unknown _

_ Thorne, Aideen - Deceased _

_ McHaggis, Dean - Quarantined _

_ Witt, James - Deceased _

_ Witt, Liam - Unknown _

_ Witt, Noah - Deceased _

_ Wright, Kaelyn - Quarantined _

Wraith wrinkled her nose. None of these names meant anything to her except for three, though there were many common names in the Outlands. Perhaps the twisting feeling in her stomach came from the idea of her own teammate being deceased like the other Witts. She swallowed dryly.

_ Attacker. _

She spun on her heel, drawing her gun, but she was not being attacked, no.

She watched as a smaller, thin woman, decloaked, a dagger drawn and moving for Mirage’s throat.


	12. Bane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are ambushed. They clean things up. Mostly.

_ “Hostile on your six!”  _ She yelled, and with a quick snap of her gun, she sent bullets flying from her Flatline. 

The woman drove her knife into Mirage’s shoulder, making him cry out in pain, but the woman grunted from the bullets that tore through her. She threw something down, which quickly burst and filled the room with smoke. 

Wraith was quick to bring her scarf up to protect her nose, but she couldn’t see very well through the thick haze. She heard an exchange of gunfire, and she followed the muzzle flash through the smoke. 

She slid legs first right into the woman, kicking her legs out from underneath her. The woman hit the ground and sneered, a look that was barely visible through the smoke. 

_ “Path!”  _ Wraith called out over the communications as she wrenched the gun out of the woman’s grasp. 

Just when she managed to knock it away, with lightning speed the woman had a knife out and she had stabbed it into her side. Wraith hissed in pain and reared her fist before striking the woman’s temple with a swift left hook. The blow was enough to make the woman’s struggling stop for a moment. So she placed both hands on the woman’s skull and focused her energy. It coursed through her, but she clenched her jaw and ignored the pain as she channeled it  _ into  _ the woman, almost as if the woman was being electrocuted. The woman screamed before Wraith ramped up the energy and finally the woman fell silent. 

Not wasting a second, Wraith scrambled off in search of Mirage. The smoke cleared, only a bit. She spotted him cowering in a corner and she rushed over, but when she reached him, the hologram burst into blue hardlight. 

There was a quick whistle. “Over here. Didn’t mean to bamboozle you. That was meant for the other lady.” The real Mirage said. 

Wraith pursed her lips and approached, looking for him before he decloaked before her. 

“Let me get you patched up.” She said, her voice tense with nerves. She knelt down, readying a med kit. 

“Take your ti- Behind you!” He shouted. 

Wraith twisted, raising her gun as two of the woman’s squad mates entered. She was covering for Mirage but they were easy targets. But luckily for them, he was a quick thinker. 

Mirage’s arm came around her waist, pulling her back against him and the knockdown shield on his arm activated. The blue hardlight protecting them as the two opened fire on them. 

Wraith took the opportunity to stare down her sights and start firing her Prowler. 

She peppered the first one with bullets but she had to reload. Before she could, a shot rang out and the final member of the squad died with a Longbow bullet through the head, his blood splattering across the nearby wall. 

_ “I have you, friends. We downed the whole squad!”  _ Pathfinder said as he approached, lowering his gun. 

Wraith let out a sigh of relief, physically relaxing before realizing she was still covering Mirage. She adjusted herself, kneeling beside him now as she got to work patching him up. 

“You know, after that one I think I owe you dinner.” Mirage said, making her raise a brow at him, to which he responded with a charming smile. 

She smirked and leaned in as she injected the healing accelerant into him. “You know I could leave you here. We both know Pathfinder could single handedly win this thing.” 

He feigned a look of hurt. “Nah, you wouldn’t do that to me, would you?” 

She stood, holding out a hand for him, which he took. She hoisted him up, helping him to his feet. “I just might…”

“Did you find anything useful?” He asked, shooting a glance towards the computers. 

She nodded. “There’s some more files on some experiments that sound like they could be linked to what’s wrong with me and a list of names but nothing seemed to jog anything. I’m going to download those files before we search the buildings downstairs.”

Mirage frowned but nodded. 

She moved to walk back towards the computers before the world around her spun. Her vision blurred and she collapsed. She could barely feel the impact. She had tried to reach out to catch herself but her movements were sluggish. Her vision was fading as she saw Pathfinder and Mirage drop to her side. She wondered if the MRVN unit had an exclamation mark on his chest. 

The last thing she saw before the world went black was the fear in Mirage’s eyes as he leaned in, yelling something she couldn’t hear. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops.


	13. Antidote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when you're down and out, it's good to have a team that will risk to keep you safe.

Mirage lunged forward when Wraith hit the ground. He leaned over her, a hand on her face as he tried to shake her awake. “Wraith?! _Wraith!”_ He yelled, checking for a pulse.

He could feel his heart pumping in his chest. This wasn’t the adrenaline of battle or the excitement of an adoring crowd. This was fear. The fear of losing someone. He had felt this back when the news of his brothers was delivered to him and his mom. He hated it. He could hear the pump in his ears, drowning out what Pathfinder was saying. It wasn’t until Pathfinder _shoved_ him off of her that he realized he was in the midst of a panic.

_Nice job, Elliott._

Poison.

That’s what Pathfinder said as he showed him the knife he had found on the body.

Antidote.

That’s what they needed.

They needed to get to work. Mirage wasn’t about to lose her too. Not when he was just starting to like her.

* * *

 

Time had passed. How much, she didn’t know, but when she had awakened, she was being carried by Mirage as he trudged through water. His boots sinking a bit into the mud. His and Pathfinder’s pace was a hustle. She could hear the hum of the ring at their backs.

Delirious, she clutched onto him a bit tighter before a realization set in and she snapped to attention. Battle. Games. They were in the Apex Games.

Her jolt made Mirage struggle to keep her in his grasp. Despite her movements, he pushed onto the river bank, climbing up before laying her down.

“Path! I think it worked! The antidote!” Relief clearly washed over him as Wraith blinked away the lingering blur of her vision.

“Antidote?” She asked, her voice raspy.

Pathfinder gave an excited nod. _“Yes! It seems that your attacker had their weapons laced with some sort of poison. When she stabbed you, it was injected into your bloodstream.”_ He explained. _“But we were able to find concoct and antidote for you.”_

“Yeah, what Path said. We lost a few hours of the night doing that, before we knew it the ring was nipping our heels. We had to move.” Mirage continued.

Poison. Damn it.

She tried to sit up quickly before being hit with another dizzy spell. Mirage put a hand on her shoulder to steady her and gave her a chiding look.

“Hey, take it easy now. That stuff messed you up pretty badly.” He said.

“No, no. The information! The files! I didn’t get to down-“

“Come on. You think we didn’t know you’d worry about that? Relax. Path for the files for you. Downloaded anything of interest. He said he didn’t snoop but between you ‘n’ me, he’s nosy.”

_“My audio receptors have not malfunctioned, friend.”_

Mirage laughed. “I know, buddy. We know where the next ring will land, and we’ve got some hours ahead of us. We need rest and Path can keep an eye out for us.” He nodded towards one of the nearby shacks. “We can rest there.”

Pathfinder nodded in agreement, and Wraith gave a sigh of relief. She was hesitant to stick around here, but she wasn’t getting any warnings to avoid it, so she nodded. “Alright. A few hours of sleep, then we can push on. Do we have an idea of how many squads are left?” She asked.

As Mirage helped her to her feet and helped support her weight, Pathfinder explained. _“It was announced some time before you woke up that there were only eight squads remaining.”_

“Less than half. Easy math.” Mirage grinned.

_“Correct! My calculations as to the ‘hot spot’ were also correct. Most of the teams slaughtered each other at that location. Exciting!”_

Mirage and Pathfinder led her inside and got her laid out on a bundle of old clothes that were strewn around the shack. It wasn’t comfortable. But this was her third Apex Games and she was used to it.

_“You two must get sleep. Please recharge your batteries before we continue on.”_

Mirage laid down as well, his back on the wooden floor of the shack, two feet away from her. He brought his arm behind his head to support it.

“I’m sure we can find some more cloth if you want.” Wraith said quietly.

She saw him make a shrugging motion. “I’m good. Shouldn’t waste much more time. We need the rest.”

“Hmm.” Was the only response she made as she laid on her side, facing the wall, her arm tucked under her head. She closed her eyes, not having much more to say to him considering he was right.

Silence hung in the air, save for Pathfinder’s occasional metallic footsteps. That is, until it was broken by Mirage.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, y’know. I mean- like, I know you’ve got the weird, painful void thing going on and that sounds really into-, inte-, intol-...” he groaned. “Really bad to deal with? But I mean… there’s nothing bad with you. Like, the you, you. I guess you don’t really know who you are, and I know what it’s like to want answers but…” he trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. “I guess what I’m trying to get at here is that I’m glad we got teamed up, Wraith.”

She blinked, trying to understand his words. She turned onto her back, looking to him. She half expected to find him looking at the ceiling as he had been when she first turned onto her side, but instead she found him looking at her.

“I’m glad we got teamed up too, Mirage.” she said, the corners of her lips lifting into a soft smile.

He must have not been expecting that reaction. “I mean, it. I’m not trying to bamb-, bam-, bamboozle you, either. I know I joke around a lot but I’m being gen-, geno-, ge-, _serious_ here.” He seemed to fumble over his words as he got more nervous. “I enjoy fighting by your side, and we should honestly hang out when we get out of this thing.”

She opened her mouth to respond when Pathfinder cut her off.

_“Friends! You are meant to be sleeping.”_

“Alright, Path. We’ll get some sleep now.” She said.

Mirage stared at her, searching her face before she gave him another soft smile and a quick nod. With that, she rolled over to get some more sleep. They had a game to win.


	14. Final Battles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get their things and get ready to face the final battles of the canyon.

She awoke to a gasp and movement, but it wasn’t her own nightmares causing them. She snapped up, her hand grabbing for her gun, ready for a fight. Bleary eyes fell upon Mirage in a cold sweat, looking around as if trying to ground himself.

“Hey…” She said, reaching out to lightly touch his arm. “You’re safe…”

Mirage looked to her, eyes wide.

She crawled closer. “Hey, breathe.” She made a motion with her hand, as she inhaled deeply before letting out the exhale.

He gave a nervous nod before following her instructions. He focused on his breathing and one of his hands were grasping at the leg of his pants. It took nearly a minute, but he seemed to settle into a calmer state.

“Are you okay?” She asked as she retracted her hand.

He looked down, his cheeks coloring a bit. Was it shame? Finally, he gave a nod. “Bad dream. Yeah, that’s it. A nightmare. No wait, that’s uh, too serious. Bad dream, really.” He said as he quickly stood up and began collecting his gear.

Wraith pursed her lips as she gave him a concerned look, but she didn’t want to push it further. He clearly seemed upset by whatever he had dream, but she knew Pathfinder would be chastising them soon to get going. Perhaps she would ask him about his dream when they got out of this arena. She could practically see the relief in his body when she didn’t push it further.

She began to collect her gear as well, and before she knew it, they were on the move again.

They pushed on for hours, picking up new supplies as they went. They could hear gunfire in the distance, and occasionally the announcer would call out how many squads were left. When it came down to it, three squads were left.

The ring pushed them further towards the other squads. The ring seemed to favor the deserts, centering on Skull Town. The sun was beating down on them, the sight of a skeleton of some massive creature curled around a sprawling settlement came into view.

Pathfinder set himself up on a perch along a nearby cliff and looked down the scope of his Longbow. He reported movement in the town, but that there was far too much cover for him to do damage should they start a fight there.

With a cheeky grin, Mirage put a hand on his hip as he looked over to the town. “I might be able to draw them out and get them split.” He said over the comms to Pathfinder. He pointed out three locations. “I have a feeling I can get them to split up. One’ll be taken care of by Path, one by Wraith, and I can finish off the last.”

Wraith raised a brow. “And if they don’t split off?”

“Then I know my knight in shining armor will come save me.” He winked at her and turned away before he could see the color rise to her cheeks.

_It was just the heat._ She reminded herself as she tried to suppress the faint smirk that came to her lips. “What do you think, Path?”

_“I think it’s likely to work, but we must be on guard for that second group!”_ Pathfinder called out.

Mirage gave a nod and lowered his goggles. He finger-gunned at Wraith before darting towards town.

This time she let herself smile as she moved into the position, he had pointed out earlier, and waited. Sure enough, Wraith saw a decoy sprint past her. Bullets whizzed past the rock she was behind just before the decoy shattered into an array of blue light.

Taking the opportunity, she ducked around the rock and opened fire with her Prowler. Four quick bursts of fire, and the person was down. She approached and stood over him. _“Surprise…”_

She heard three bullets fire from the cliff side before Pathfinder confirmed his kill. Mirage was quick to follow up, but their victory was short lived as Pathfinder called out that he was under fire.

They were split up and Pathfinder was in danger. She wasn’t about to lose one of her companions. With a guttural cry, she focused her energy and _blinked_ to Mirage’s position before holding her arm out. She ignored Mirage’s yelp of surprise, and the pain that tore through her body as she opened a portal.

“Follow me.” She looked his way, and despite his goggles, she knew he looked unsure. _“Trust me.”_ She didn’t wait for him to give her a nod or any sort of acknowledgement. She simply jumped through, letting the void carry her.

She emerged on the other side of the portal to see Pathfinder trying to take cover behind a rock and two enemies shooting at him. She drew an arc star and with a quick flick of the wrist, she threw it. It embedded itself into the armor of one of the soldiers before exploding, disorienting him.

She drew her Flatline quickly, opening fire as Mirage ran through the portal. Suddenly, there was decoys of him everywhere. Luckily, or perhaps a plan on his part, none of them walked in her line of fire. She downed one.

Suddenly, the true Mirage decloaked and aimed the Peacekeeper at one man as he desperately tried to shoot the clones to find the true Mirage. _“I gotta admit, I may have tricked you.”_ Was all he said before he pulled the trigger. Blood and matter splattering to the sands.

They were missing one. She looked up to the cliffside to see Pathfinder trying to crawl away as someone walked towards him, gun ready.

_“No!”_ Once more she let the pain wrack through her as she leapt through the void. Suddenly she was on the cliff. She tackled the person to the ground, and with a quick flourish of her kunai, she brought it down into their neck. They struggled beneath her weight, but Wraith only dug it deeper before giving it a quick twist.

In a matter of moments, they were dead beneath her, and Kings Canyon fell silent.


	15. Adrenaline Lows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've won the Apex Games as a team once again, and now they deal with the aftermath.

Mirage was quick to scramble up the cliffside to check on Pathfinder for any injuries. She could barely hear his reassurances towards the MRVN unit.

Wraith, on the other hand, still had adrenaline coursing through her body. She dropped her kunai and stood. She stumbled a bit and looked around. She balled her hands up into fists, anything to stop the shaking.

_“You are the Apex champions.”_ The announcer called out.

Pathfinder was on his feet and approached with Mirage. The robot pulled the two of them into a hug, though Wraith was a bit too dazed to stiffen or pull away.

She also didn’t notice the look of concern that Mirage had on his face.

Then began the whirlwind of post Games routine. Posing, pictures, interviews, and plenty of travel. She was pretty sure that because of the exertion of her abilities, she fell asleep slumped against Mirage on the ride back.

She was dead on her feet when they were finally free to go. Mirage once again asked them to celebrate. Her adrenaline had worn off so long ago she was amazed she was still walking. She frowned and shook her head. “I need rest.”

There was a look in his eye that was a cross between disappointed and sad, but he gave her a nod. “I understand. Get some rest, maybe we’ll celebrate in the morning.”

She gave a nod and retreated to her room. She let herself collapse on the bed, and it wasn’t long before she was out like a light.

Until the whispers decided to wake her, of course.

_Wake up._

_Fear._

_Go to him._

_Elliott._

Wraith awoke in a cold sweat. She looked around. Her room was empty. She furrowed her brows and bit down on her bottom lip hard. What was going on?

She had slept for three hours, and now they wanted to go find Elliott. She needed to heed their warnings. She rolled out of bed with a groan and rushed out of her dormitory. She walked down the hall to Elliott’s and knocked quietly. When no response came, she knocked louder.

She heard shuffling before the door opened.

Elliott had his hair pulled back with a headband and sweat beaded on his forehead. He was pale, and his hands were shaking. He also wore only a pair of sweatpants, a fact she tried to ignore.

Wraith snuck a glance into his room, and she could see a few empty bottles of some sort of alcohol littered around the room.

When she didn’t speak, he did. “Y’know if you wanted to party after all, you should have just said so…”

She blinked, opening her mouth to say something but unsure exactly what the right thing to say _was._ “I… I woke up. I had a gut feeling to come here.”

He cocked his head to the side, confused.

“Have you slept?” She asked.

He wet his lips with his tongue before quietly shaking his head. “No, I can’t sleep well sometimes. Usually after the Games are done.”

She pursed her lips. “I have some experience in not being able to sleep well…”

“Really?” he looked hopeful. “What do you do?”

“I just suffer through it.” She frowned.

There was a silence that hung between them before he laughed. He stepped aside and motioned for her to enter if she wished. She did. “Sit where you’d like.” he said, a more somber look coming over him.

“I knew the Apex Games was a crazy idea when I first signed up for it. But… I wish someone had told me what it does to the mind. I was part of the champion squad, three games before you made your debut.” He said as he plopped down on the bed.

Wraith nodded, sitting alongside him, albeit stiffly. “I remember seeing you in the media…”

“Most people jump right back into it, but… I didn’t make close ties with my squad and only two of us made it out. The other gal took her winnings and ran, didn’t come back. I tried to do the same, live off the glory of the whole thing but…” He shook his head. “Things were different afterwards. Home was different.” He gave a shaky exhale. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”

She shook her head. “Please, go ahead.”

He stared at her for a moment before nodding. “Like I said, home was different. Like when you’re lying in your bed but it’s not really _your_ bed. It’s different. You can’t get comfortable. It’s too hot, too cold, too _weird._ It was like that. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I decided to return. I didn’t have my old team, and apparently you and Pathfinder didn’t ask for a team, so we ended up together. I like to bank on random probability a lot, but I’ve gotta admit, the fact we were put on the same squad is my favorite iteration of it.”

She tried her best to follow along, but he noticed her confusion.

“Look, I’m just trying to say that I’m grateful we’re on a team together.” He said, reaching over to place a hand over hers.

She nearly flinched and pulled back, but she stopped herself. That didn’t stop her from tensing.

“I’m sorry, I shoulda-” he tried to say as he pulled back.

She cut him off by grabbing his hand, placing it down on the bed between them before resting hers over it.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t usually enjoy physical contact. Or at least I’m uneasy around it, at first… I understand where you are coming from. The reaction you had to the Games is normal…”

He gave a nod, peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. “Did something happen to you? To make you not enjoy it…?”

Wraith inhaled deeply. “I don’t usually like to talk about it, but… I woke up in an IMC Detention Facility a few years back with no memory. Apparently, the facility was for mentally ill patients. I… I don’t know what happened to me, but I want to know. Maybe I can find out if I was born this way or made this way.”

He frowned. “I’ve heard some of those facilities can get pretty nasty… I don’t blame you for liking physical contact.”

She nodded and withdrew her hand, resting it on her lap. “You drink to help you sleep, don’t you?”

He hung his head in shame. “Sometimes… It started last year, after my victory. Everyone wanted to party or hang out with me, and I realized drinking helped a bit.”

She pursed her lips. “Would you like me to teach you another method that might help?”

His eyes lit up at the offer and he nodded. “I’ll try anything.”

“Meditation. If that doesn’t work, then sparring until we no longer have the energy to stay awake.” She suggested with a playful smirk.

It was his turn to give her a deadpan look. He was in for it.


	16. Results and a Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirage has a proposition for his squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say that the support I've been getting for this fic has been astounding. Thank you all for putting up with the slowest of burns for the year.

Meditation definitely wasn’t the right option for Elliott. He had spent the entire session fidgeting, huffing, and wriggling in his spot. So, they had ended up sparring. After an hour or so of that, and the _two_ of them being knocked on their asses, they went off to their respective rooms.

It was the following day at breakfast when Elliott plopped down into his seat across from her and next to Pathfinder. “Hey. How about instead of staying here, you guys head back to my home planet with me? We could, uh, we could train some more. I could show you some of the tech I’ve worked on…” he said.

Wraith blinked, whereas Pathfinder got exclamation marks on his chest.

_“Traveling would be very exciting! I accept.”_

Elliott gave her a hopeful look.

“I don’t know…” she said quietly, bringing a piece of her layered, rolled omelet up to her mouth and taking a bite.

“C’mon. It’ll be fun. You said it yourself, this place isn’t good for finding information. You can sort through the data you downloaded at my home. I’ve got plenty of computers you can use. You might also get to meet my mom and try her cooking. Promise it’ll be better than the stuff that machine spits out.” He continued, before flashing her puppy dog eyes.

She swallowed, pursing her lips as she turned her gaze up to the ceiling. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

He shook his head. “I’ve got at _least_ ten other reasons lined up.” He said, a cheeky grin on his face.

Wraith sighed, shaking her head. “Alright, alright. We’ll all go. Where is your home planet, anyways?” She asked.

Elliott raised his fist before quickly bringing it down towards his side in a sign of victory. He leaned towards their robotic companion before pretending to whisper, _“I didn’t actually have that many reasons lined up.”_ He looked back to Wraith. “No take backs.” he said quickly.

She rolled her eyes, trying and failing to suppress the smile that snuck its way to her lips.

“Solace. It’s a tropical planet. You might like it there. I was planning on leaving tomorrow. Not much to pack, but I know you guys don’t have too much to carry with you. Though we can probably get Wraith more clothes.” He was talking fast now, clearly thrilled by the fact they’d be joining him.

His enthusiasm was cute.

Before she knew it, Elliott was eagerly leading her and Pathfinder onto a transport ship off planet. The full trip took them two games. Elliott taught she and Pathfinder several different card games.

He had been surprised when she called out a hand in which he had cheated, swapping his cards for better ones. It had been so subtle that she might not have noticed it. But she had been surprised to find the whispers warning her, in nearly an amused tone.

Soon they were stepping off into Solace. The moment the doors of the transport ship opened, she was hit with a wave of humidity. It was sweltering. She practically felt like she was _breathing_ in water.

Pathfinder was not bothered by it. Elliott was grinning as he was met with the familiar heat. _She_ was sweating in minutes.

Elliott nudged her with his elbow. “You get used to the weather after a few days.” He said.

Wraith loosened her scarf before she began to fan herself. She furrowed her brows at him and gave him a disbelieving look. “Right…”

“Come on!” He said, leading them out of the airport.

What Elliott didn’t warn her of, was how many people would recognize them. As they tried to leave, they were surrounded by “fans” who eagerly wanted to meet the champions of the Apex Games.

Some people were reaching out to touch her, and the crowd made her anxious. She didn’t like it. Elliott and Pathfinder seemed to notice the change in her and did their best to shield her as her breathing became uneven. She reached up to grasp at Elliott and Pathfinder’s arms. She squeezed tight and closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing.

Elliott seemed to be a natural in a crowd. He waved with his free arm, flashed smiles, and posed for pictures. It took longer than she would have liked, but they were eventually free of the suffocating crowd.

_“Are you alright, friend?”_ Pathfinder asked, a sad face on his screen.

Wraith swallowed dryly and nodded to the MRVN unit.

“I’m sorry. I shoulda warned you. I should have guessed you would have had anx-, anxo-, _anxiety_ about something like that.” Elliott said, giving her a sympathetic look.

She shook her head. “I’m fine… I just wasn’t expecting it.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Where is your home?”

He gave her a nod and looked in a direction. “This way. There’s a market we have to pass through.” He looked her way. “Might be a bit busy. I’m sure Path and I’ll protect you though.”

Wraith gave a roll of her eyes, but she returned her hand to his bicep. “Let’s get going…”

He had under exaggerated about the market being crowded. But they weren’t being hounded as much as they walked through it. There were a bunch of stands selling a whole array of things, holo-display signs, and people milling about.

Suddenly, Elliott stopped. “Hey, check that out.” He pointed out a stall with an array of scarfs. He moved closer, dragging Wraith along. He reached out and touched a gray scarf that looked like it was sewn in short sections.

He brought his free hand up to his chin, in thought before turning towards Pathfinder. “Y’know, I think you’d look good with this.”

A question mark appeared on Pathfinder’s screen. _“But I do not require a scarf.”_

Elliott shook his head. “No, no, no. It’ll look good, I know you don’t need it. It’ll make a statement!” He turned to the vendor, a short, dark skinned woman. “I’ll take it.” He fished out a tablet and tapped it against the reader. There was a beep, and the woman smiled and handed over the scarf.

Wraith crossed her arms as she watched Elliott wrap the scarf around Pathfinder’s “neck.” An emoji with heart eyes appeared on the MRVN unit’s screen as he touched his metallic digits to the scarf.

_“Thank you, friend!”_

Elliott smiled and let Wraith hold onto his arm again before leading them the rest of the way.

“Here we are! Home sweet home…”


	17. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elliott shows off his home. The squad gets to meet someone important to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if it's a bit shorter, I'm fighting a major caffeine headache.

Wraith couldn’t remember a time in her life when she had a home, but she didn’t exactly consider a home to be a sprawling _mansion_ at the end of a driveway just behind the gates that stood before them.

She was speechless.

Elliott picked up on that. “Well, you know. It’s not exactly my house, technically. I bought it for my ma, so it’s under her name. I was gonna get my own space but since I went back to the Games, I didn’t really want to have an entire place to myself and ma kinda deserved the best-” he rambled, only stopping when Wraith gave his arm a squeeze before letting it go.

She motioned to the gates. “Well… show us inside.” She said quietly, her eyes scanning the environment as he entered the code and the gates opened before them.

He motioned them inside eagerly. They walked up the driveway to the front door, and similarly, a code was entered, and they went inside.

Wraith looked around for any sort of signs of life, but there weren’t any. She imagined there would have been some sort of staff to maintain the place, but as she watched a small drone rolling across the floor, she guessed it was mostly maintained by autonomous systems. She hugged her arms to herself. The thought of being in a place this large all alone made her feel… well, lonely. She eyed Elliott, wondering if he ever felt that way in this place.

He showed them around, showing them the entire place. There were so many stairs and hallways, she could easily get lost in a place like this.

Finally, he showed them their guest rooms. “I’m sure we’re all je-, jo-, jet-...” his nose wrinkled, his frustration returning. “ _Tired_ after the trip. We can get a nap in and we’ll have dinner. You guys can meet ma. She’s excited to see you guys. Ah, Wraith, I hope you don’t mind, I gave you a smaller room… I figured you wouldn’t like one of the larger ones…”

She blinked, opening the door to the room he had motioned to. It was definitely a smaller room compared to some of the things she had seen in the mansion, but it was only a bit bigger than her dormitories. She sighed in relief. “Thank you… I’m gonna try to get some rest.”

He gave a nod before he and Pathfinder headed off.

Rest was nearly impossible, too… _comfortable_ , at least until she decided to sleep on the floor with a pillow tucked under her head.

She got a wink of sleep in before she awoke to an announcement, Elliott’s voice.

_“Come and get your chow! Also meet my ma. If you want to. If you wanna sleep some more that’s fine too…”_

Her lips lifted into a faint smile before she sat up. She had changed into the loose-fitting shirt she had bought before leaving for Solace, and a pair of jeans. She slipped on her boots and wandered through the house until she had rediscovered where the dining area was.

Pathfinder was already there, along with Elliott and a woman she hadn’t seen before. Pathfinder was animatedly explaining something, and the woman was giving a light laugh. Her skin was darkly tanned like Elliott’s, the curls of her hair were more tightly coiled than his, but it was pulled back into a large puff of a ponytail. At Wraith’s entrance, the woman’s green eyes flickered to her, and she gave a smile.

“This must be the final member of the squad.” The woman stood, pushing her chair back before walking over. She looked as if she was about to lean in and tell her a secret, making Wraith lean back a bit before she snapped. “Ah, he mentioned you were uncomfortable with physical touch from strangers. Where are my manners.” She clasped her hands together and her smile widened, her eyes shining like Elliott’s did when he was happy. “My name is Valentina. Though I don’t know if Elliott remembered to _mention_ that.” She shot a playful glare back over her shoulder to Elliott, who held his hands up innocently.

“Come, come, let’s sit and have dinner. It’s still hot.” She made a motion with her hands.

Wraith heeded, sitting across from Elliott and beside Pathfinder.

Valentina didn’t hesitate to fill her plate up with food, which Wraith stared down at a bit wide-eyed. The woman smiled warmly. “Eat up.”

So, she did, while Valentina and Elliott shared stories about their years working on holo-tech or simply embarrassing childhood stories that had Elliott burying his face in his hands.

“Ma, please.” he said, raising his head, his cheeks reddening.

Valentina snorted and shook her head. “No, no, no. They must hear this one. You should have seen him. He was about three at the time. I was having colleague’s over for dinner, and Elliott’s father was responsible for bathing him. He was cleaned, but apparently never dressed. Elliott decided he could dress himself and threw together an outfit made of plastic _bags._ He had his arms through the handles like a superhero cape. The guests had arrived, and he ran downstairs and proudly showed off his work.”

Elliott ran his hands over his face as Wraith did her best to smother her laughter with her hand.

 _"This is a most entertaining story!"_ The MRVN unit said with a clap of his hands. There was a laughing emoji with tears on his chest. 

Valentina smacked the back of her hand against his shoulder. “Ay, relax. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t share your embarrassing stories.” She teased.

The dinner went on, and she asked Wraith and Pathfinder more about themselves. Though unfortunately they both didn’t have much to offer.

Afterwards, as an autonomous unit began to clear away the table, Valentina stood up and smiled to Wraith. “Dear, would you mind taking a walk with me away from the boys?”

Wraith blinked, looking to Pathfinder and Elliott, the latter of which shrugged his shoulders. With a small nod, she stood, and followed Elliott’s mother for a walk.


	18. A Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentina wants to have a chat with Wraith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for it being short. Also any typos it was written on mobile.

She was silent for some time. It made her nervous and she wasn’t sure why. But after they had walked through some of the halls of the home, she smiled warmly at her. 

“As a mother, it can be scary for your children to run off into the world. There’s a lot that can hurt then. But we can’t coddle them forever. They eventually venture out into it, and all a mother can do is give her children the tools to survive. Sometimes that’s lessons, sometimes that’s advanced holo-tech.” She gave a confident smile at that. 

Wraith blinked before giving Valentina a soft smile. “Elliott has a lot of tricks up his sleeves with the holo-tech. He’s saved my life plenty of times. He’s crafty.”

Valentina gave a thoughtful nod before stopping and turning to face her. “Crafty is a good word for him. He helped my research in many ways thanks to his way of thinking. He’s always been bright, if not a bit of a goofball. Though he’s always loved attention, so that’s why he is how he is.” She gave a shake of her head before giving Wraith a serious look. “He has saved you, but you and Pathfinder have saved him… As a mother we want our children to chase their dreams. This one, admittedly, was a hard dream to allow. But I know Elliott. He wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t given him my blessing. Family means a lot to him… and now I’m the one rambling.” She smiled. “I’ve seen what some people do in the Apex Games. Some run off and leave their allies at the first sign of danger. You didn’t. Pathfinder didn’t. I already spoke to Pathfinder, but now that I have you alone, I want to say thank you for picking my son back up. It’s terrifying to see him on that screen, hurt, and there’s no way for me to protect him. But you and Pathfinder… I know you two have his back. So… thank you.” 

Wraith blinked. She was getting a lot of thank you’s and she wasn’t exactly sure how many of them she actually deserved. But she smiled. “Like I said, he’s done the same for me and Pathfinder. We decided to stick together.” 

She nodded before continuing to walk. “He’s fond of you, you know.” She said, causing a blush to rise to Wraith’s cheeks. 

She didn’t even know why, or maybe she did and she just buried the reason down deep. 

Valentina peeked her way and Wraith could have sworn she caught a knowing look, but instead of commenting, she continued. “He spoke about you a lot when he was home last time- he likes to chat when we work, and after the last Games, he suggested inviting the two of you over. He was quite eager.” 

Wraith nodded, her gaze lifting to the ceiling. “Yes… he was.” 

The older woman frowned. “He didn’t push you to come, did he?” 

Her eyes widened before shaking her head. “No… while I may joke about how he did, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to.” She said, watching Valentina relax some. 

“Good, I didn’t want to have to teach him manners again at thirty.” She sighed. 

Valentina stopped in front of a door and entered a code. With a hiss, the door opened and she motioned Wraith inside. “Come, this is the lab Elliott and I work in when he’s here. I used to have to go to the city, but Elliott went all out on this place.” 

Everything was clean and sterile inside. One side of the lab was organized and well put together. The other looked like a tornado had come through.

Elliott’s mother motioned to the cluttered side. “I had it cleaned up while he was gone, but as you can see he made a mess again. In his words, ‘Don’t worry, ma, I know where everything is and that’s all that matters.’” She giggled. 

Wraith was a bit wide eyed at all the stuff around. There were so many different iterations of holo-tech around that she didn’t even know where to begin with the questions she had. There were prototype designs, blueprints, and much more. But there was one particular thing that caught her attention. 

She walked towards it and paused. It was a holo-image hovering on Valentina’s side of the lab. Valentina, who must have been twenty years younger was hugging four young boys close to her. They looked similar, though two of them took on the tighter coils of Valentina’s hair, and a third shared her eye color. Then there was the fourth. Loose curly hair hung in his face, and he had a big toothy smile for the camera. 

Valentina stepped up beside her. “It’s my favorite picture. She pointed to the boy with green eyes. “James hated pictures and this is one of the few I have of him where he’s smiling.” She pointed out the other two. “This one is Elliott’s brother Liam, and this is Noah.”

A chill ran down her spine and she could feel her mouth go dry. 

_ Dead. They’re dead.  _

_ Maybe one is alive.  _

_ Dead. Unknown. Dead. Quarantined. Dead.  _

The whispers got loud. Wraith took a quick step back as the pain began to shoot up her arm. The repetitive whispers not stopping. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. 

Valentina gave a look of concern. She moved to rest a gentle hand on Wraith but stopped when she flinched. “Sweetie, are you alright?”

She wanted it to stop. Her hands were clammy and shaking. “I’m sorry, I just- I-“ she looked around, her eyes wide with panic. “My powers. They cause pain and it’s acting up. I need to go to my room.” She said as she stumbled for the door. 

Valentina nodded quickly and moved for the door. With a quick input, it opened for her. 

Wraith ran. She wasn’t sure where she wanted to go, so she ended up outside in the tropical gardens. She only got so far before she slid to her knees and emptied the contents of her stomach into the bushes. 

_ Dead. Unknown. Dead. Quarantined. Dead.  _

_ Brothers. Dead. Brothers. Unknown.  _

She begged. She pleaded. She wanted the chorus to stop. She wanted the pain to stop. She grasped at her head, her nails digging in a bit. She bit down on her lip, tears pricking her eyes as she suppressed the urge to scream. 

_ Dead. Dead. Dead.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I’d get to fluff soon. But then I decided angst.


	19. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pathfinder consoles his friend and gives Wraith the advice she needs.

_“Wraith? Are you alright?”_ Pathfinder’s robotic voice came from behind her, making her flinch.

She held up a hand behind her as she retched into the flowers that would have been pretty.

_“I do not have a stomach, your bio-waste does not bother me, friend.”_ he said as he crouched down beside her.

She heaved again, but nothing was coming up this time. She peeked at the MRVN unit out of the corner of her eye. His head was cocked to one side. If a robot could look concerned, she was sure that Pathfinder was doing it now.

“I’m fine.” she said dryly.

_“I believe you are lying.”_

Wraith turned her gaze to the sky as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sat back on the grass. She took a deep breath of the humid air, not that it would help her much.

_“Did your conversation with Valentina go poorly?”_ He asked, a question mark on his chest.

She shook her head a little too quickly. “No, it didn’t… at least I don’t think it did.”

Pathfinder reached out and placed a cool metal hand over hers, a rather welcomed sensation. It was so damned hot here. _“Then please, explain.”_

The robot’s touch helped her focus just a bit and drown out the repetitive whispers. Wraith pursed her lips at the robot before letting out a sigh and letting her shoulders drop. “Elliott’s brothers…” she began.

_“The ones mentioned in the data files I downloaded for you?”_

She blinked. “How did you…?”

_“I recognized the names when I saw them. I knew the names off Elliott’s brothers after our first games together. In an effort to get to know you two, I did my research on you both and learned that his brothers were military. They went missing in action some years ago.”_ Pathfinder explained. _“I also looked for information on you, but I could find none.”_ There was a sad face on his chest. _“I was hoping to help you with your endeavor to find more information.”_

Wraith was surprised. She honestly hadn’t expected to hear that from the MRVN unit. She figured he’d focus on his own goals as she focused on his, the same with Elliott. Though she supposed they had already done enough to try and help her. She frowned and ran a hand over her face. “I don’t know what to tell Elliott.”

_“Might I recommend the truth?”_ Pathfinder said, his head cocking to one side, a digit of his right hand raised.

She pursed her lips. She lived for the truth, and yet… the idea of telling him the truth scared her. She didn’t know why.

_You know why._

She wrinkled her nose. Of course, she did. She didn’t want to hurt him. Or go on some sort of… _revenge_ mission against the same people that had caused her to suffer.

She swallowed dryly, her throat burning from the stomach acid. “You’re right…"

Pathfinder perked up at that and gave her an awkward pat on the back before standing. He reached down, offering her a hand to take. _“Come, friend. We shall get you cleaned up, rehydrated, and a chance to speak with Elliott.”_

She gave him an apprehensive look before sighing and taking his hand. She pulled herself up and closed her eyes for a moment. She centered herself, inhaling deeply. There were still whispers in the back of her mind, like it was scratching at her skull, but she knew what needed to be done.

* * *

Wraith knocked on the door lightly. She was hoping he _wasn’t_ there, but she knew she couldn’t avoid it, so it was far better to rip the band aid off.

After a few moments, the door opened, and Elliott stood there in a pair of sweats and a dark orange shirt. His eyes lit upon seeing her and he gave her a warm smile. “Hey, uh… I wasn’t expecting you here, but actually that’s great I wanted to ask you something.”

She furrowed her brows together. “Um… sure, but there’s something I need to tell you first.”

He flashed her a charming smile. “Yeah?” The smile faded and a look of concern passed over him as she looked away and frowned. “Hey, c’mon. You can talk to me.”

She swallowed and took a deep breath. “Your mother told me about your brothers… and so did Pathfinder-”

He looked dumbfounded by her statement and cut her off. “Yeah, it’s okay. Mom likes to talk about them occasionally. Nothing wrong with that.”

She frowned and shook her head. “No… I- actually. Let me plug this drive into your computer. It’d be easier to _show_ you.”

His confusion only grew, but he gave her a nod and brought her over to his computer. She uploaded the file and pulled it up on the holo-screen so he could read it for himself.

“I don’t… Wraith…? What is this?”

She hugged her arms to herself. “I found files about an experimentation. The results sounded similar to what is happening to me… but I found a list of subjects. Those were the names on it, and their current status.”

“But those are…”

She nodded.

Elliott covered his mouth with his hand, his brows furrowed together as he stares at the names. “When we got the news… we thought… I thought… they were dead… They said missing in action, but we knew what they meant…” He leaned forward, bracing himself with one hand on the desk, the hand on his face moving up to rub his eyes with his index and thumb. “B-but… ‘Unknown’... what does that mean?”

Wraith swallowed and shook her head. “I… I don’t know, Elliott. I’m sorry.”

He sniffled, blinking quickly before standing up straight. He put his hands on her shoulders as he looked down at her. “Liam… he could be _alive._ That’s what this means.”

She stared at him. There was hope in his eyes… and there was fear. Fear that he was getting his hopes up, but it seemed that part of him was winning out regardless. She placed a hand on his wrist. “It could… but I’m not certain… and I don’t even know if this is a full list.”

“I mean, that just means if we go for another round in the Apex Games, we’ll have to find more information. We could absolutely do that, yeah? We’ll help you. _I’ll_ help you.” Suddenly, he pulled her into a hug.

He clung to her as if he needed it, and she let it happen. She was hesitant at first, but she wrapped her arms around him slowly and rested her cheek against his chest. She felt his chin on the top of her head.

“Yeah… we can do this.”


	20. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wraith gets some sleep after telling the truth. She wakes up to find someone making breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for a shorter chapter today!

Wraith laid on the ground, her head resting on the soft pillow as she stared wide eyed at the ceiling above her. There was an ache in the pit of her stomach as she replayed the scene from earlier that day in her head over again. He was so hopeful at the news she had given him, but the scene she replayed the most was when he pulled her into the hug. She recalled the warmth of the hug, the way he rested his head atop her head, and the rapid beating of his heart in his chest as she rested her head against it.

She hugged her arms to herself and tried to pretend that she wouldn’t want another moment like that. The whispers were softer now, a faint hush in the back of her mind. It was easier to sleep, so she let it consume her. At least for the few hours she _could_ get.

When she awoke, she showered and pulled on the loose-fit clothing she had packed and went to explore the estate again. Half way through, her stomach growled, and she decided some breakfast would do, so she made her way to the kitchen only to be met with a pleasant scene.

Elliott was there, cooking something that smelled great. He wore a pair of pajama pants and a somewhat tight shirt. His hips swayed a bit as music hummed from the speakers. He was singing along to the words in a language she didn’t know, but one that flowed melodically.

She leaned against the door frame and watched for a minute or two as he flipped pancakes with ease before he noticed her out of the corner of his eye and he jumped, nearly dropping a pancake. He recovered and set the pan down before placing a hand on his chest dramatically. 

“Sorry, you st-st-... you spooked me.” He exhaled before giving her a smile.

“No… I’m the one that’s sorry.” She looked him over. He was clearly in a good mood. More so than his usual self. Before she could see something else in his eyes but now it seemed genuine. “You look… chipper.” She gave a half smile, but she had to admit, she was worried about him.

“Course I am. Didn’t get much sleep though but that’s not a problem.” He hummed for a few moments, making a flourish with the pan as he flipped the pancake onto the plate in his other hand before looking over his shoulder to her. “Want one?”

Normally she might’ve said no, but she gave a nod. Her stomach growling as if prompted. “Sure.”

He flashed her a charming smile before buttering the pan and pouring in more batter. He set the pan down on the heat before leaning against the counter top and looking to her. “Hey uh… I never actually got to ask you my question last night… you mind if I run it by you?”

She raised a brow but nodded.

“So, I was thinking… maybe the two of us could go out to dinner. There’re a few really great restaurants around here. Some of my favorites. We could go try them! Or like, maybe you wanna try something new or you seem to like a lot of food inspired from the Asian colonies so maybe that! I’m down for whatever, but I figured it’d be fun. Just the two of us… y’know?” He rambled, turning his focus to the pancakes as they cooked so he could flip them.

Wraith blinked. She had to admit, she fancied the idea of having a dinner with him, but she didn’t know what it meant to him. Maybe he wanted to ask her more questions about the information she had read on the files.

She gave a soft smile as he looked back over his shoulder at her silence. “Sure, I’d like that.”

Elliott practically beamed at the answer. He returned to showing off, flipping a pancake onto a new plate before pouring more batter.

She walked closer to watch him work.

“Awesome! Like I said there’s a ton of places we could go to. I know a few hole-in-the-walls that don’t get that crowded. Quiet atmospheres, y’know? I figured it’d be safer for you if people recognize us. I don’t want you getting anxious, yeah?” He continued, peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. “That can be later today. Tonight. Before that I can show you and Path the lab me and ma work in. It ain’t much, really, but it’s something. It’s where I work on my suit. I could show you a lot of that.”

He was so animated when he spoke, so excited that it was a bit infectious. She found herself smiling more openly as he spoke and flipped the pancakes. As he spoke more of plans, he shut off the stove and brought two plates over a small table in the kitchen. He motioned for her to sit and pulled out a bottle.

“Now _this_ stuff is authentic maple syrup. None of that table syrup stuff they serve at the compound for people. You’re gonna love this.” He said with a grin as he put it down between them.

Wraith let herself laugh softly as she sat down. It seemed she had a full day of plans and meals in front of her. Though as she sat across from Elliott… she didn’t think she minded.


	21. A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirage and Wraith spend the day together. Then they have a dinner date.

She indeed had a long day, but she enjoyed plenty of it. After they had shared breakfast which was far tastier than she had thought it’d be, Elliott showed her to the lab that he shared with his mother. Though Valentina had showed it to her already, seeing him in his zone was quite endearing.

And the way he spoke about his tech.

He was so animated, but less so in the way he typically showed off and more so with how his eyes lit up. He spoke so confidently about his work, it was a charm she hadn’t exactly seen before. He talked with her for hours about some of the projects he had worked on in the past, and some of the ideas he had for future upgrades to his suit. She enjoyed it.

At some point they stopped for lunch, something simple before they decided to get some exercise in. They jogged around the estate a few times at first. Wraith had kept herself in good shape since escaping the mental ward, but in the humidity of Solace, she was gasping for breath by the end of it. Elliott seemed perfectly fine. _After_ he had shed his shirt, that is. She tried to pretend that she didn’t feel the heat the rushed to her cheeks or pretend that he _wasn’t_ smirking at the sight. 

Afterwards, they parted ways for a few hours. Wraith used that time to shower, meditate, and relax. She did her best to calm the whispers, which weren’t warning her of dangers but instead were chattering about dozens of different things. All the things that made her mind race. Some days she wished they’d go away, but considering how many times the whispers had saved her life? Saved _Elliott’s_ life? She just let them chatter away.

It was around five when there was a gentle knock at her door. She had already gotten dressed in a pair of denim jeans and a dark t-shirt. If it wasn’t for the sticky heat, she would have let her hair down, but instead she decided to keep to the bun.

Wraith opened the door to see Elliott there looking a bit _less_ casual than she was, in a pair of slacks and a light blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his biceps. His hair hung down into his face and he gave her a toothy grin. 

“Ready to go out for a night on the town?” He asked with a waggle of his brow.

She smirked. “Hmm… you know I might just bail out on you now…”

He faked a pout. “Oh, you can’t do the ‘Great Mirage’ like that.”

At that, she laughed into her hand, trying to hide it and clearly failing. “The ‘Great Mirage’? How many people call you that?”

“Ah, y’know. Plenty of people. Ma does for sure.” He motioned for her to follow, and she did.

She laughed again before peeking at him. He was giving her a soft gaze, but she couldn’t tell why.

“Oh! Almost forgot. I’ve got a surprise for you.” He said, checking his pockets for something. “Where did I…” he patted himself down before with a quick sleight of hand, two bracelets “jumped” to his hand. “There we are.” He handed one off to her, explaining their purpose. “I repurposed some old tech I had lying around. We can wear these, turn them on, and no one will realize it’s up. I figured you’d want the extra peace and quiet.”

Wraith looked down at the bracelet in surprise but shot him an appreciative look as she slipped it on. He gently took her hand and turned it on. There was a flicker of light before it settled. He took a step back as if to admire his work before turning his own on. A hologram settled over him and made him look vastly different; a bit younger, lighter skinned, brightly colored hair. When she pursed her lips, he fished two pairs of glasses out of his pocket.

“Here, put these on.” he said as he handed her a pair and put on his own.

She raised a brow, but did so, and as she put the glasses on, she realized she could see _him._

“I figured you’d want to see this gorgeous face.” He teased bringing up a hand to stroke his beard.

She smirked. “Well… it’s better than chatting up a complete stranger.” She elbowed him lightly. “Lead the way.”

He did. They walked through the town nearby to a small restaurant. He hadn’t been kidding about hole-in-the-wall. There weren’t many people inside, and the robotic host showed them to a table in the back at Elliott’s request.

Wraith slid in the booth and gave the place a look around. She adjusted her glasses before focusing on Elliott. He was trying his best to look relaxed, but his leg was bouncing beneath the table.

_Nervous._ The whisper told her, though she didn’t need them to know that. She just wondered if she should point it out.

He met her eye and smiled. “This place is great, you’re gonna love it. They’ve got this stew called sancocho if you like meat. It’s amazing. Oh, and then they have these plantains that they fry? Some of my favorite. Ma had to keep me off of them for a while when I was little.” He patted his stomach. “They’re my comfort food.”

She smiled and nodded. “Then I’ll try those.”

So, they ordered and got drinks. Elliott wasn’t kidding when he said the food was amazing. It was rich with flavor, and definitely a lot better than what she had been eating back at the compound. They barely got to talk during the meal considering she was too busy scarfing it down. She was pretty sure Elliott never stopped grinning he was so pleased with himself.

They sat around and drank some more after their meal was done. Elliott told her more stories, told jokes, and she was laughing along with him. This continued on their way back to his home. Whether the alcohol made it so she didn’t care, or she simply enjoyed his company too much to care, she had her arm looped through his as they walked back.

When they arrived back at her room, she leaned against the door and went to slip off the bracelet before he stopped her.

“No, no. Keep it. Y’know, in case you want to explore the town some.”

She nodded but deactivated the hologram and he did the same. She tucked her glasses into a pocket and smiled at him. “Thank you… I appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing. Really, I’m happy to as-, asso-...” he groaned. “To help. Yeah… help.”

She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “Are you alright? You get bothered when you stumble over words.”

He frowned and reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Yeah… I’ve had a stutter since I was a kid. I can mostly deal with it but sometimes it comes up and it’s frustrating. It makes it hard to get the words I want out.”

She gave a nod. “I see.”  

He gave her a half smile. “It’s alright. But I have a question for you…” he said, leaning closer.

“Yeah…?”

“Can I kiss you?" 

The question took her by surprise, so much so that even the whispers fell silent for a heartbeat. She stared at him before her gaze dipped down to his dark lips. Yes, she certainly wanted that. She swallowed and tried to reply but nothing came out, so she simply gave a quick nod.

With an utmost gentleness, he brought a shaking hand up and his fingertips brushed against her cheek. She raised her own hand and rested it over his. He was warm to the touch, and she leaned her cheek into his hand. His other hand moved to tilt her head back towards him and he dipped his head down, his eyes closing. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and she did her best to shut out the symphony of whispers, wanting only to focus on _him._ She let her eyes flutter shut...

And so they kissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was worth the wait. :)


	22. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wraith and Mirage have kissed. The next morning, Wraith finds Mirage and Valentina making breakfast.

 

Her lips were chapped, but that didn’t take away from the kiss. His heart was beating a thousand beats per minute. Or maybe it was less? He was pretty sure he’d be dead if his heart _was_ beating that fast. What if he was dead? And this is just heaven? Did he believe in heaven? No not really, but with her before him, his hand gently touching her pale skin, and her lips on his? It might as well have been some sort of pleasant afterlife.

Elliott pulled back, his eyes still half lidded as he savored the kiss and the tingle of his lips. He opened his eyes fully and watched as she leaned her head back against the wall. The corners of her lips were lifted in the tiniest of smiles. He loved those ghosts of smiles he caught when she thought he wasn’t looking.

Her hand squeezed his and pulled it away from her cheek. She lowered it between the two of them but held onto it. She opened her eyes and for a second, he could have sworn he saw the pale blue fading to the normal crystal blue of her eyes. He let the back of his thumb brush against the back of her hand.

If there was a moment that made one’s heart soar, this was it for him.

“I had fun tonight, Elliott.” Her voice was soft, but he could tell her words were genuine.

It made him smile wider. “I had tons of fun too. I enjoy spending time with you, Wraith.” he said, trying to keep himself from diving in for a second kiss.

She gave his hand a soft squeeze before letting hers slip from his. Her eyes shined with something. Admiration, maybe? He didn’t know. But the fact that she let him kiss her had put his nerves about how she felt about him at ease. He was grateful.

“Goodnight. See you tomorrow.” She said before opening the door to her room.

He watched her turn and disappear behind the door. He walked a few steps towards his room before realizing there was a spring in his step. He was ecstatic. He pumped a fist into the air and let out a silent cheer just to avoid having her hear him. He had already embarrassed himself enough around her. 

For once after the Games, he wasn’t drowning in misery.

* * *

Her senses were buzzing. She had a finger gently brushing against her lips, but it couldn’t replace the sensation of what his lips on hers had felt like. They had been so soft, and his scent mixed with some sort of light cologne still lingered on hers. She was staring up at the ceiling, smiling faintly as she replayed the scene over in her mind. The way he touched her face, the tickle of his beard on her skin.

She fell asleep with that faint smile on her lips.

When she awoke to her typical nightmares, she distracted herself with a shower to shock herself fully awake. She brushed her damn hair and kept it down for now. That would change once she decided to go out for the day.

Once more she found Elliott dancing and singing in the kitchen, but this time Valentina was helping with breakfast. As the two of them sang together in a language she didn’t understand, Wraith figured Elliott must have gotten his singing voice from his mother.

It was Valentina that noticed her first. She was in the middle of mashing something in a bowl with a fork when she paused and shot a knowing smile towards her.

Elliott was in the middle of frying some eggs when he heard his mother stop so he turned. She could have sworn she saw his eyes light up at the sight of her.

In hopes of distracting them and herself from her blush, she raised a hand in greeting. “Good morning.” She said quietly.

“Good morning, dear. Would you care for some breakfast?” Valentina asked, returning to her task of mashing whatever was in the bowl.

She nodded. “Sure. Is there anything I can help with…?” She asked, taking a step further into the kitchen.

Valentina motioned her closer towards the bowl. “Here, finish mashing the plantains and I’ll get the bread toasted.”

Wraith blinked before nodding and trying to recreate the motions Valentina had just been doing. Beside her, Elliott was shooting her a smile, still dancing a bit in his spot.

“I heard your dinner went well last night.” Valentina said, causing Elliott to turn his face a bit and cough. “What? You told me about it, I figured I’d ask her.”

She dipped her head down a bit, letting her drying hair hide the sides of her face as her cheeks heated. “Well, it was a lot of fun, and the food we tried was delicious.”

Valentina came around to smack Elliott’s shoulder with the back of her hand. “See? You get nervous for no reason.” She stopped in between them and smiled at Wraith. “I told him you’d probably enjoy the food. I can’t tell you how long he was mulling over asking you.”

“Ma!” Elliott whined and gave her a look of horror. “Is nothing sacred to you?”

His mother smirked and bumped her hip against Elliott’s. “No, it’s my duty as a mother to embarrass my children.” She turned to add butter to the plantain mash before returning to the toaster and popping in too more slices of bread.

Elliott gave an exasperated sigh before looking to Wraith. “I shoulda hid you from her.”

“You never would have! You told me about her the first day you were out of the Games.” Valentina called out from across the kitchen.

Elliott turned his gaze to the ceiling but couldn’t hide the smile on his lips.

Wraith smiled down at the plantains in the bowl too, and before long they were sharing breakfast together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys didn't mind the small change of perspective for a bit. I enjoy writing from Mirage's sometimes.


	23. Pathfinder's Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pathfinder explores the city and mulls over his thoughts on his companions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don't mind a little more experimentation here.

Pathfinder took a break from his research and decided to go out into the nearby town. He was quite puzzled with what he had found in his searches. Every time he tried to find more information about Wraith, he found information was _redacted_ , not just impossible to find. It seemed that whoever had imprisoned her before had done their best to get rid of whatever information about her they could.

He hadn’t made it very far down the street before some people were stopping and pointing at him. Even a child waved at him as he passed. Pathfinder waved his hand back, a smiley face appearing on his chest.

_“Yo!_ It’s Pathfinder.” Someone said as they ran up, a phone in their hands. “You mind if we get a picture?”

_“Oh! Why, certainly, friend!”_ He said.

The man slung an arm around the MRVN unit and held up his phone to take a quick picture. When he was done, he took a quick step back and moved his hand as if he was making a wide sweeping motion. When Pathfinder cocked his head to the side, the man laughed. “Come on man, it’s like a high five or a handshake.” He repeated the motion a bit slower for Pathfinder to follow along. When their hands met, the man hooked his thumb and grasped his hand giving it a quick shake up and down. “There we go!”

Well this was exciting! He learned something new. _“Thank you for teaching me!”_

“No probs, my dude. Nice meetin’ ya!” The man said as he turned to leave.

Pathfinder waved again before continuing on. Though as he got closer to the center of town, he got stopped more often. Some of them even gave him items. Though he tried his best to assure them that they didn’t need to give him any free stuff, but most of them insisted.

At one point he got ushered into a restaurant and asked to pose in front of a meal. Even though he tried to explain that he could not eat, they continued to snap pictures of him. Though the chef was kind enough to pull him into the back and show him how he made some of the dishes. Pathfinder made sure to log that. Perhaps he could make a nice meal for Wraith and Elliott as thanks!

He was popular around these parts. Then again, he had experienced much of the same in the town not too far from the complex. From what he had seen, many of those pictures that people took would be uploaded to the internet. Many of them even tagged him on all sorts of social media. Part of him enjoyed seeing all the things people said about him, though sometimes he came across messages that weren’t as kind. Those did not bother him. Any sort of celebrity brought him closer to meeting his creator!

If anything, the things that brought him what he imagined was sadness was seeing some of the harsher things that were said about his teammates. Wraith seemed to get the brunt of things, though she made it clear she kept her nose out of the media. It still bothered him. Perhaps it was simply because Elliott had more charisma than Wraith, considering most of the fans that did not like her, seemed to think highly of Elliott. They did not know his teammates like he did! They were both wonderful and helpful teammates.

He contemplated reaching out to some of those people. But he knew it was fruitless. Most people made comments on topics they weren’t one-hundred-percent knowledgeable on. He had come across many examples when he had stumbled upon conspiracy theory videos a few years ago, claiming that MRVN units were created in order to enslave humanity. At first, he spoke about some creator and Pathfinder had hoped it would provide a link to his own past, but he could not correlate any sort of logic from the details the person had told him about.

It was sometimes discouraging, but Pathfinder was eager to press on. It was why he decided to join the Apex Games. He had seen the popularity it had brought its contenders. Especially when one put themselves out in the public’s eye, like Elliott. Mirage had taken the media by storm. He had partaken in plenty of interviews and he had many fans in a short amount of time.

After seeing Elliott’s rise to fame, Pathfinder made his choice to join. But because of the lengthy screening process and the interviews he had to partake in, he didn’t join up until when he teamed up with Elliott and Wraith. Though perhaps it was for the better! He would not have wanted to fight against Wraith. She would have been a worthy adversary.

Though he was concerned about what he had seen of Wraith the last time they spoke directly. She had been very distraught. Then there was the fact that she was in physical pain sometimes. He presumed it had to do with her abilities. It was clear they caused her harm, but he was not sure if they were killing her. He would be very sad if Wraith were to die to something like that! It was why he offered his help. His friends were helping him, and he wanted to do the same for them in return.

But then there was Elliott! He had researched Elliott after their first victory. His family had been through a lot, and from what Pathfinder had observed, Elliott had some problems with alcohol. When Wraith needed sleep after their second victory, the two of them spoke extensively, and his friend had told him about how he hated being alone after the Games. Pathfinder did not know what to tell him, but he assured him that he would be by his side when needed. Elliott seemed to appreciate that.

He would simply have to try a little harder to help _both_ his companions.

But for now, he simply enjoyed the crowds and made plenty of new friends in this city. But soon it would be time to start strategizing for their third Apex Games together, should they decide to join him!


	24. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elliott drags Wraith to see a festival.

They had spent the better half of nearly two months spending time together. They got to know each other, they kissed, they spent time with Pathfinder. Though most of the time they were out in public, they continued to use the holo-bracelets he had made for them. It meant they weren’t bothered every time they went out, and Wraith had honestly appreciated it.

Things were going smoothly, and Elliott was doing his best to be as charming as ever. That was until Wraith saw a different side of him.

Elliott had been dragging her along the streets, a grin on his face. There was some festival he had been excitedly talking about for days. He had told her all about how happy he was that they were going to be in town for it. His excitement was… infectious.

Like always, she did her best to hide the smile that formed on her lips as he led her through the streets, and like always, she failed to do so. He always caught it. They had been passing by street vendors and street performers. People were eating, dancing, children running through the streets with little toys they had begged their parents to buy them.

Pathfinder had joined them, but he had gotten lost in the crowd that had gathered around him. He did not want to hide considering he _wanted_ the sightings and fame. Elliott was a bit jealous, to an extent, Wraith had realized, but when she had confronted him about it, he assured her he was happy to keep their personal time, well, _personal._

Things were going fine. They were having a wonderful time. That is, until the first of the fireworks went off.

The sound that echoed through the streets was enough to make Wraith flinch, of course. She could feel her heartbeat quicken but she took solace knowing that the lack of whispers warning her of danger mean no one was trying to harm them.

That wasn’t the case for Elliott. He didn’t have a voice telling him he was safe. At the sound, his body tensed, and he immediately ducked into the cover of an alleyway. His eyes were searching frantically as he tried to reach for a weapon he did not have on his person. She could see his chest heaving with unsteady breathing as he flinched at the second firework.

Wraith ducked into the alleyway with him. His eyes were wide, and panic was coursing through him. _Fear_ was coursing through him. This was a panic attack. She reached a hand out to touch him, but he quickly grabbed her wrist and tried to twist her arm back to get her to lie prone. She reacted before he could, breaking the hold and bending his arm into an uncomfortable position. He was bigger than her, but that didn’t mean he could take her down in this state.

_“Elliott,”_ She said sharply. “I need you to focus on me. Wherever you think you are, you’re not there. You’re not in Kings Canyon. You’re here. You’re home on Solace. You’re with me.” She kept her voice loud enough to be heard over the sounds of festivities happening just outside the alleyway.

He struggled.

“I’m going to take you somewhere quiet, I need you to trust me.”

Using a hand, she summoned up the power. The typical dull ache of her arm fired up until it shocked up and down her nervous system. She opened a portal, focusing on a destination far enough away from the main hub of festivities and she pulled him through it. Moving through the sliver of space was rushed, but it was void of any sound or people. For a moment she looked to Elliott who was looking around, more confused than panicked, now. When they were pushed out the other end of her portal, she grunted in pain as it closed. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she panted softly.

But it seemed the space of the void had managed to snap him out of it for the most part.

“That… that place. I’ve seen it before… back…”

Wraith cut him off. “Yes. You have. Back when I saved you and Pathfinder.” She said through gritted teeth.

He swallowed and looked down at his shaking hands before he tried to shove them in his pockets. Shame marred his features. “Wraith I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“Stop.” She said, which made him frown. “I understand…”

This made him raise a brow. “I… really?”

Wraith walked a few steps before moving to sit in a patch of grass. She clutched her arm to her chest, wincing a bit at the latent energy that coursed through it. “Yes. It’s… natural to react that way to something like that. The fighting we do in the Apex Games is very real to us. It haunts us. It’s _normal._ ”

Elliott walked over and sat beside her, a look of concern in his eyes as he watched her clutch her arm. “But you don’t react the same…”

She nodded. “It’s… different for me…” She looked at him and saw the questioning look in his eye before she frowned. She turned her gaze down towards her arm. “The powers… aren’t really the only thing that I have going on. Well… it’s sort of an extent of it. I told you a bit about what the powers do. But I can hear these… _whispers_. When I first woke up without any memories, I was terrified of them. But I realized they wanted to protect me… so I let them. They tell me when I’m in danger. When we’re in danger… when I saved you and Pathfinder from that grenade… it was because it… they… whatever you want to call me warned me. So, when I hear something like that, my knee-jerk reaction is to panic but I remind myself that _they_ aren’t telling me to watch out and I know it’s safe.”

He stared at her in shock. This was clearly not something he was expecting to hear from her. “Whispers? What do you mean? Like someone else is talking to you?”

She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah… something like that. After our first Games you commented on my eyes. That does happen when my powers are used but… it also happens when I hear them.”

He looked down at his lap. “I didn’t know. So that’s how you always seemed to be one step ahead sometimes in the Games…”

She nodded, remaining quiet.

“Hey, Wraith…?” He said after a few moments.

She turned her gaze to him, and he rested a hand over hers in the grass.

“Thank you for helping me back there… I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you by my side. Are you still in pain? I’m not a doctor but I can offer some assi-, asso-, assisty-... _help._ Actually… I don’t know what helps.”

Wraith forced a smile. “I appreciate it. Your company helps, in a way. It distracts me.”

Elliott stared at her for a moment before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her a bit closer. Unlike the first few times he had done it, she didn’t tense, she simply leaned into him and enjoyed the distraction.


	25. Last Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirage and Wraith steel themselves before the coming battles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this chapter's delay!

As she looked up at her face looking back down at her from the giant screen that stood before her and most of the group, she thought back to her last conversation with Pathfinder and Elliott.

_“Are you sure you want to go back?” She asked, giving Elliott an intense stare as the memories of his anxiety attack lingered in her memories._

_He sputtered. “Wh-why would you even ask me something like that? Course I’m going with you guys. You guys need me.” He forced a smile as if he wasn’t quite sure he even believed that._

When they had spoken privately, he assured her there was no way he was staying back on Solace and watching helplessly while she and Pathfinder fought for their lives. The intensity of the way he spoke about it, how much he simply _could not_ do that made her agree.

Now she stood surrounded by _fifty-seven_ other people that wanted her dead. Violence was strictly forbidden on the compounds, but if looks could kill, well she’d surely meet her maker. No one liked a two-time champion squad, only the fans of the show. Even then, from what she could tell, she didn’t know if people were rooting for them or rooting for their death more. It didn’t help that according to the officials of the Games, she was considered the lead champion of their group considering her performance the last round. She _hadn’t_ been trying to rack up a kill count. She simply wanted to save her teammates.

That didn’t change a thing, though.

_Focus._

She knew that, but she couldn’t help but be tense in a situation like this. Who wouldn’t be?

At least she could take solace in the fact that Elliott and Pathfinder would be by her side, and that the voices would protect her the best they could. But she hoped it would be enough.

There was also the problem of using the Games to get more of the information she sought. According to Pathfinder, they could not use the same tactic they had last time. Not only were their moves broadcasted and all their current competitors would most likely had seen them, but the Artillery would be considered the hot zone thanks to the chance of good loot.

This could pose a problem for them, though Pathfinder had an idea.

There was another overlook above River’s End that would probably have decent enough loot and a chance for them to get more information, but just like before they would want to head for Repulsor first in order to get decent loot. Their plan would work for them, at least she hoped it would.

The week back at the compound had Wraith wishing they were back on Solace. She was missing the humid planet. Perhaps it was because of all the tasty food they were missing out on.

They had been assigned their own quarters, but at some point, during the final night before battle, Elliott had knocked on her door. She hadn’t been able to get much sleep either, so she invited him inside when she saw the tired look in his eye.

“Can I ask you for a favor…?” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She raised a brow but nodded.

“Could you, uh, hold me tonight? I know you’re not too thrilled with too much contact but-”

She cut him off by patting the bed as she sat down. She laid down on her side in the twin size bed and waited for him to tentatively crawl in with her. With his back to her, she inched closer and wrapped her arms around him. She rested her head against the back of his as he relaxed in her arms.

“Wraith…?” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Being around you makes things more bearable. I don’t think I really got to thank you for going to Solace with me.” He rested a warm hand over hers. “Being there alone would have driven me crazy like it normally does… and it’s crazy to say but I’m really glad I’ll have you by my side on the battlefield tomorrow.”

She stayed quiet for a few minutes, listening to his breathing. “I’m glad I went.” She whispered back, feeling him give her hand a squeeze.

“And thanks for this… really.” he said, turning his head a bit to glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“But I want to. Not many people do this for me, y’know? Sometimes you just need a hug. Sometimes you just need to be held and told everything’s gonna be okay, even if that isn’t going to be the case. Ma does that for me when she can, but she can’t always be there.”

She could hear the frown in his voice. So, she held him a little tighter. “Hey, Elliott?”

“Yeah?” 

“Everything’s going to be alright.” She whispered.

He gave her hand another tiny squeeze before he relaxed and settled into the bed. Not before long, he was asleep, and as she felt the gentle rise and fall of his chest, she just hoped that everything _would_ be alright tomorrow.


	26. Feet First into Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dropping is difficult when you're the champion squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignore my cheesy ODST reference.

People were staring them down with steely gazes. Wraith only met their looks with a cold one of her own. She couldn’t show fear, especially now as the dropship was leaving.

As the dropship first crossed over the land of Kings Canyon, they were surprised to find that only a handful of squads jumped for the hot zone. No, many squads still had their eye on _them._ They were going to chase them down, apparently.

After a few more minutes, they didn’t have a choice. They jumped.

Sure enough, people followed. Elliott- no, Mirage here on Kings Canyon used his trick from the last Games and it had a few teams chasing the decoy.

As the air rushed around them and she could see Repulsor come into view, someone collided with her mid fall and grabbing onto her, knocking her out of formation with Pathfinder and Mirage.

There was a blow against the back of her head and Wraith twisted in the air to look at her attacker. A woman with a scarred face and chipped teeth grinned at her as she reared her fist to punch her again.

Wraith grit her teeth and bent her legs, catching a foothold on the woman’s upper thighs. With one swift shove, she kicked. It sent the woman into a spinout but launched her towards the ground.

She was a bit disoriented, and she had barely steadied herself before the ground came fast approaching. She kicked the thruster packs into overdrive to keep her from dying to the fall, but just barely. She cringed as the shock of the impact went up her spine. She could hear Pathfinder and Mirage calling out over the comms, but she needed to focus.

She sprinted into the nearest building, searching for a weapon, only finding two grenades and hard light armor. The moment she touched it, it reformed around her gear. She turned the corner to check the smaller room only to see someone reaching for a gun on the ground.

_Throw the grenades._

She heeded the whispers, taking a grenade and pulling the pin. She tossed it into the small room before shutting the door and throwing her weight against it. She could hear a gasp from inside before they banged on the door, desperately trying to get it open. Three _long_ seconds passed before the grenade went off, knocking her forward. The door itself shattered, sending shrapnel into her gear but at least she was alive. She couldn’t say the same for the poor sap whose body laid in several places within the small room.

_“Where are you, friend?”_ She heard Pathfinder call out as she scrambled for the gun in the room and the ammo.

An EVA-8. It would have to do.

She took a moment to describe where she landed before the comms were interrupted with: _“Ah, gettin’ shot at over here, in the hanger on the north side!”_

Wraith grit her teeth. She couldn’t rush, or she’d get caught. She poked her head out, scanned the area, spotting the hanger, but she could also see two more people rushing towards it. It must have been their own teammates.

She took the chance to run across the opening and climb up to one of the side doors. She would drop down and assist. Unfortunately, as the doors opened, they were _extremely_ loud. She ran across and grabbed a second gun, this time an R-99 as she came across Mirage trying to use a syringe in a corner, and a group of three turning on him.

A scary sight, at least, it would have been had Elliott not supplied her with contacts that used similar technology to the glasses he had made for her. It allowed her to see what was _his_ decoy. Pathfinder had a similar software uploaded for him. She looked around before spotting Elliott ducked under a walkway beneath one of the tanks.

With Pathfinder arriving a moment later and the team opening fire on the decoy which shattered into hard light, they jumped at the chance to ambush them.

Wraith jumped down, opening fire with her shotgun. Three quick pulls of the trigger had one of the members of the squad falling to the ground. The other two turned to shoot at her. Bullets tore through her arm as she ducked behind a crate. There was more gunfire as Pathfinder and Mirage jumped in as well. The moment they were no longer opening fire in her direction, she ducked back out with her R-99 and opened fire again. One of them took much longer to kill, thanks to the gear he had, but they had him.

They barely had time to scramble for more guns and ammo before the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hangar. Her shields were shattered, and she was already bleeding, but working quick she grabbed more hard light armor and turned on their next attackers.

A grenade was thrown their way, but thinking fast, Mirage kicked it into walkway where one of the shooters had taken up position. Just in time, too, because it went up, tearing into the shooter with shrapnel. He was quick to level his P2020 and finish them off.

Bullets shattered her armor again and Wraith tried to pull free a shield cell when her feet were knocked out from beneath her. She screamed in pain as a knife dug into one of her calves. She kicked back at her attacker twisting so she could shoot her R-99 only to be met with the sound of an empty magazine.

“Come here, little _champion._ ” a man with wild eyes said as he brandished his Peacekeeper.

Just before he could pull the trigger, a grapple hook dug into the man’s back and he was yanked back violently by Pathfinder right into the fire of his SMG.

Mirage slid to his knees next to her and quickly jabbed a syringe into her. “Don’t worry, I’ve got ya.” he said as Pathfinder covered them. With the healing nanomachines in her system, she pulled herself to her feet, wiping the sweat from her brow. They were finally alone, at least for now.


End file.
